Las Vegas Jail: We Treated Paris Differently

When Paris Hilton was booked into a Las Vegas jail for possession of cocaine, she was rushed through the booking process in order to get her in and out as quickly as possible, a jail official acknowledges.

In fact, Hilton's three-hour stay at the Clark County Detention Center was five to 21 hours shorter than that of someone else booked for the same offense.

Preferential treatment? Not necessarily. Was she treated differently from the average inmate because of her celebrity? Absolutely.

"Yeah, she was treated differently so I don't have a disruption of my process here at the county jail," Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Deputy Chief Jim Dixon, who runs the detention center, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "When you bring somebody in like that, everybody comes over and tries to look at them. I'd have officers attempting to keep inmates away from her. I'd have disruptions."

Following her Aug. 27 arrest, Hilton's booking process was expedited in order to get her into a separate room from other inmates and eligible to release.

"She was moved along out of the general area and put in isolation where nobody can actually get to her," Dixon said, claiming that Hilton couldn't be left alone with uncuffed inmates. "That wouldn't be fair to her. It wouldn't be fair to my officers. It wouldn't be fair to the other inmates ... To put Paris Hilton in an open dorm area with male inmates and female inmates would shut down my process."

Hilton, 29, was moved to several rooms during the process of her stay, including an isolation room – also known as a "drunk tank" – and even a sergeant's office.

The heiress was released on her own recognizance because she had no outstanding warrants and was determined not to be a flight risk. Also, prior to the Vegas incident, she had not been arrested for drug use in the United States – though she skirted drug accusations overseas in July.

An arraignment is set for Oct. 27 on the possession of cocaine charge. 

Credit: People

Paris Hilton Thought Cocaine Was "Gum"

Paris Hilton has been charged with felony cocaine possession following her weekend arrest in Las Vegas. If convicted, the heiress, 29, faces up to four years behind bars.

According to the police report, the officer who stopped Hilton and her pals on the famed Las Vegas Strip Friday night smelled "the strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle."

Upon being stopped, Hilton tried to roll up the window.

As a crowd of 100 people began to gather around, Hilton said she was "extremely embarrassed" and asked if she could go to the bathroom at a nearby hotel, the report states.

There, she asked to put on lip balm. As she began to open her purse, the officer writes, "I saw a small bindle of what I believed to be cocaine in a clear baggie begin to fall from the purse and into my hand."

The purse also contained cigarette wrappers commonly used for marijuana and a broken tablet of Albuterol.

Hilton admitted the Albuterol belonged to her -- as well as the $1,300 in cash in the purse -- but denied that the cocaine -- .8 grams, to be exact -- and the purse were hers.

When the officer asked her about the cocaine, Hilton "said she had not seen it, but now thought it was gum," according to the report.

On Saturday, Hilton's attorney said the "matter will be dealt with in the courts, not in the media, and I encourage people not to rush to judgment until all of the facts have been dealt with in a court of law."

Hilton returned to Twitter late Sunday, telling fans: "I'm so thankful to all my fans for all the love and support you are giving me."

Credit: Us Magazine

Paris Hilton Arrested on Cocaine Charges

Paris Hilton was arrested Friday night and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for possession of a controlled substance, described by Las Vegas Metro Police as cocaine.

CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom says a conviciton would probably mean more time behind bars for Hilton.

She was a passenger in a car driven by her boyfriend, Cy Waits, when Metro conducted a traffic stop around 11:30 p.m. Friday in front of the Wynn Hotel and Casino on the famed Las Vegas Strip, according to Officer Marcus Martin, public information officer, who spoke with CBS affiliate KLAS-TV.

During the course of the traffic stop, police say, they conducted a search and found an undisclosed amount of cocaine in Hilton's purse.

An officer indicated to KLAS that a possible odor of marijuana was initially detected, requiring further interaction with police.

Hilton was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

A clerk at the Clark County Detention Center indicated early Saturday morning that Hilton "had been booked and released." Further details were not available from the jail.

A Metro watch commander also said the driver, Cy Waits, was arrested for DUI. TMZ reported Hilton and Waits were headed to Las Vegas on a private jet from Los Angeles Friday. Waits runs several nightclubs in the city.

Credit: CBS News

Kristin Cavallari Admits Past Drug Use

Kristin Cavallari’s partying has reportedly gotten out of control. The Hills starlet is rumored to be using cocaine, drinking too much and refusing to eat. But Kristin wants the world to know that she’s fine, thank you very much, and that she does NOT touch drugs!

“Drugs scare me, to be honest,” the 23-year-old Hills villain said on Valentine in the Morning’s syndicated radio program May 4.

She admitted that she HAS used in the past, but is now clean. “Yeah, I have [taken cocaine before]. Nope [I’m no longer using]. I tried it in high school.” She added, “I’ve seen people in my life change because of it, and it really messes with your balance. It’s a shady, disgusting drug.”

Kristin also addressed her alleged drinking problem on the radio program. “I like to go out and have a good time,” she admitted. “It’s no shock that I like to drink. But I’m not doing anything I shouldn’t be doing.”

She concluded, “I’m off all drugs. I’m fine. I’m actually really healthy and take care of myself.”

Credit: Hollywood Life