Image: Paris Hilton in more relaxed pose...
“Why would you open your purse if you knew that you had cocaine in it?”
This is one possible defence that Paris Hilton will give after .8 grammes of cocaine fell from the purse she was holding directly in front of a police officer.
Sgt. John Sheahan, of the Las Vegas Police Department, said, “She extracted a tube of lip balm from her purse. At that time a plastic bindle containing a substance believed to be cocaine fell from her purse in plain view of the metro lieutenant.”
Hilton told officers, “the purse was not hers, and that she had borrowed it from a friend.” As for the cocaine, she “thought it was gum.”
In Nevada, where Hilton was arrested, possession of cocaine can carry a sentence of up to 4 years in prison.
“Although the law in Nevada does tend to be more stringent than in California, in reality it is not likely Paris will receive such a harsh sentence,” former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, Robin Sax told Pop Tarts. “Usually 18 months after one conviction, it gets dismissed. It is more likely that, if convicted, Paris will be given probation which could involve substance abuse class and treatment, and a $5000 fine. She may also still get probation with a small amount of jail time, [like] 30 days.”
In 2007, Hilton was sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating the terms of a DUI arrest, and about a month ago she was detained and released after being caught in possession of marijuana at Figari airport, Corsica.
