Hello and welcome to the very first post on Celebrity DUI Disclosure!
Today's disclosure focuses on three wealthy young ladies who, despite their fortunes, still can't resist life in the fast lane.
Case #1
Offender:
Charges:
- Driving under the influence
Substances involved:
- Alcohol
- Marijuana
The reckless daughter of singer Lionel Richie was arrested in December, 2006 after 'The Simple Life' star failed a field sobriety test, according to the California Highway Patrol.
She was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving without incident. This particular event took place after police received 911 calls about a vehicle matching the description of the actress' black Mercedes SUV heading in the wrong direction along a Burbank freeway.
Police found Richie's vehicle parked in the car pool lane of the freeway.
According to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, she was tested for drugs and released upon posting $15,000 bail.
This came as the second DUI offense for Miss Richie, and California law states that repeat DUI offenders are subject to a minimum three month jail term, although the sentence may be reduced to just four days if the convictee accepts a three year probation term.
Despite being sentenced to 4 days at Century Regional Detention Facility in LA, the same facility where Paris Hilton (see below) spent 23 days behind bars for violating her DUI probation, the pot-smoking prima donna ultimately spent a measly 82 minutes locked up.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released a statement declaring that Richie's early release was due to "prison population levels' and that it was "standard procedure for nonviolent offenders".
Funnily enough, she actually only spent a total of 23 minutes in a jail cell, just treatment? I'll let you be the judge of that!
Despite repeated DUI trial delays from Miss Richie's lawyer, this young lady has since shown signs of reformation. She has since publicly stated her regrets for her actions and has promised to act lawfully in future in order to be a good mother for her daughter with boyfriend Joel Madden, singer of band Good Charlotte.
"There's absolutely no way I will do anything like that again." Richie said.
Sentence:
- 96 hours jail time (23 MINUTES total incarceration)
- $2000 fine
- Drug and alcohol counseling
- License suspension
Final verdict:
If only Nicole Richie could be content living The Simple Life... it's just a shame her adopted father Lionel Richie can't keep a watchful eye on her All Night Long to keep her out of such messes!
Case #2
Charges:
- Driving under the influence
- Probation violation
Substances involved:
- Alcohol
In September, 2006 the 27-year-old heiress was charged with driving under the influence. Her blood alcohol level was 0.08%, breaking the legal limit in California.
She was due to appear in court following the DUI arrest on September 28 but her DUI defense attorney requested that the date be pushed back. The attorney, Neil shouse reportedly stated that it is not unusual for the defense to seek postponement of an initial court date.
Her license was suspended in November that year and in the following January, 2007 she pleaded no contest to the DUI; reckless driving charge. Miss Hilton had been attending a charity bash and denied drunk driving although she admitted to having been speeding "a little bit".
On January 15, 2007 she was pulled over by police for driving with a suspended license and on February 27 was caught driving at 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, with her license still suspended!
At this point both Paris and her spokesperson claimed that she was not aware of her suspended license although prosecutors pointed out the fact that she had signed a document in January acknowledging that she was not legally permitted to drive.
The Los Angeles attorney's office also pointed out that she had not enrolled in alcohol education classes as ordered by the court, further constituting the violation of her probation.
The speed-freak starlet was sentenced to 45 days in jail by Judge Michael T. Sauer on May 4, 2007 for violating her probation. City attorney, Nick Velasquez was cited as stating that the star would not be receiving any special treatment, although the maximum sentence for an offense of this kind is 90 days.
Socialite Paris ultimate served 23 days of her initial 45 day sentence due to "good behaviour"
I find it amusing that a petition was created in May 2007 to appeal the sentence to California governer, Arnold Schwarzenegger. This inspired an opposing counter-petition with both petitions gaining tens of thousands of signatures.
Miss Hilton's time in the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California was certainly eventful. After commencing her jail sentence on June 3, 2007 she was released on June 7 due to an undefined medical condition. On this same day, Judge Michael T. Sauer summoned her back to court the following morning.
He insisted that her sentencing details stated that she would serve time with "No work furlough. No work release. No electronic monitoring.". Sauer refused to have a private hearing with Paris' attorney and ordered she be immediately sent back to jail to serve out the rest of her 45 day sentence.
Upon hearing the sentence, the young model loudly protested "It's not right!" and began screaming. The concerns raised following this outburst led her to be moved to the medical wing of Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles.
She was later moved back to Century Regional Detention Facility on June 13.
Poor poor Paris was released from jail on June 26, 2007 proclaiming that she was starting a "new beginning" after being influenced by prison minister Marty Angelo.
Sentence:
- 36 months' probation (violated)
- $1500 total fines
- 45 days jail time (23 days total incarceration including a day of house arrest)
Final verdict:
This star certainly was blind if she thought that she could get away with violating her probation and getting away with it, let's just hope for her sake that she does start a "new beginning" or Nothing in This World will be able to help her!
Case #3
Offender:
Charges:
- Driving under the influence
- Driving with a suspended license
- Drug possession
- Transport of a narcotic
Substances involved:
- Alcohol
- Cocaine
On 26 May 2007, after spending all night at various parties and clubs, the Mean Girls star lost control of her Mercedes SL-65 and ran the vehicle up a curb on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. After being treated for minor injuries in a nearby hospital, Lohan was arrested by police following a 911 call.
Less than a month later, she was formally booked for suspicion of DUI. Tests showed her alcohol levels to be nearly twice that of the legal limit, and also indicated cocaine to be present in her bloodstream.
As a result of this incident, the actress was driven to the Promises Rehabilitation Center in Malibu by her attorney Blair Berk, and checked herself in for a 45 day stay for alcohol and drug rehab.
This was Miss Lohan's second trip to rehab since collapsing at the 2006 post Golden Globes party.
Garry Marshall, director of 2007 movie Georgia Rule fired into the 22-year-old for causing delays in filming due to her extreme partying habits.
After staying at the treatment center for just one week of the intentional 45, Lohan found herself being arrested again and charged with another DUI offense (as well as possession of cocaine this time around) when Santa Monica police had received reports that a Denali SUV had been chasing a Cadillac Escalade.
The vehicles were later located and Lindsay was found to be the driver of the Denali and was later questioned by police.
This time the reckless young lady was booked on two misdemeanors, a DUI and driving with a suspended license, and also for two felony charges, drug possession and transport of a narcotic after cocaine was found in one of her pockets.
Miss Lohan who stars in the upcoming romantic comedy, Labor Pains (scheduled for released in 2009) received a 96 hour jail sentence, but her DUI defense attorneys helped her to reduce this to just a 1 day sentence as she had already served time and was willing to participate in an American Red Cross community service program for 10 days.
She was placed on 36 month probation, fined, and was also ordered to complete treatment at a drug rehab center, which she later attended at Cirque Lodge in Sundance, Utah. The judge also insisted that Lohan attend a county coroner program where she would assist in a morgue and emergency room.
Lohan's statement regarding the matter was:
?It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs. I broke the law and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges in my case.?
This confessional statement was supported by her attorney who was cited as saying the starlet is "completely on track with everything.".
Of the 24 hours Lindsay Lohan was supposed to serve in the Lynwood facility, she served just 84 minutes there, just 2 minutes longer than the record for the shortest time spent in the facility, held by Nicole Richie (see above).
She has yet to continue her drug treatment and complete an 18 month alcohol education program.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has requested a further update on Lindsay Lohan's progress on January 16, 2009 so watch this space and we'll find out just how "on track" she is!
Final Verdict:
I think it's quite sad when we see these images side by side and see what happens when an innocent young girl is thrust into a world of fast cars, hard drugs and booze.
So in conclusion, all puns and jokes aside, driving under the influence is truly no laughing matter. In America alone over 17,000 people are killed and 500,000 are injured each year as a result of the kind of recklessness we've been talking about here. This equates roughly to one drug or alcohol-related automobile death every 32 minutes, and one injury every 4 minutes!
Lives are ruined or ended altogether, homes are broken and many become just another statistic in this awful ongoing tragedy.
Thanks for reading, next time we'll be discussing those individuals who make up the backbone of our very society - those who make the laws and those who enforce the laws aren't all as lawful as you might suspect!