Paris Hilton Arrested For Cocaine Possession

Paris HIlton was arrested in Las Vegas overnight on charges of felony cocaine possession charges, the Associated Press is reporting.

Hilton, 29, and her boyfriend Cy Waits were arrested on the Las Vegas strip after, according to the AP, police spotted what appeared to be a cloud of marijuana smoke wafting out of the Cadillac Escalade in which they were riding. The cocaine allegedly was found in Hilton’s possession after that, although police did not say how much of the drug they discovered. She was reportedly released from jail this morning; Waits remains in custody while awaiting a hearing on charges of driving under the influence.

TMZ is reporting that Hilton says the purse containing the cocaine did not belong to her. Her attorney in the case — David Chesnoff, a  Vegas lawyer who has represented numerous celebrity clients — also cautioned people “not to rush to judgment” in his interview with the Associated Press.

This is not the first arrest on these sorts of charges for Hilton. Earlier this summer, she was detained after a World Cup match in South Africa, on charges of marijuana possession that were later dropped. She also was sentenced to 45 days in jail (and stayed there for 23 days) in 2007 after violating her probation in a DUI case.

After that much-publicized prison term, Hilton appeared on “Larry King Live” and noted that she planned to make some changes in her life. For the record, here are a few quotes from that interview.

On partying so much, she told King:

“I realized that there’s a lot more important things in my life. And there’s a lot more things to do. And I’m frankly sick of it. You know, I’ve been going out for a long time now. And yes, it’s fun, but it’s not going to be the mainstay of my life anymore.”

She also said:

“I feel like, you know, being in the spotlight, I have a platform where I can raise awareness for so many great causes, and just do so much with this, instead of, you know, superficial things like going out.”

And lastly:

“I’ve definitely matured and grown a lot from this experience, so I just — I don’t know, I just want to be — I’m 26 years old. I’m an adult, and I am — I have to just grow up and to be a more responsible — a role model, because I’ve gotten a lot of letters from mothers and their daughters… I want to be a good role model for these girls.”

• Headlines
• Classifieds