by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright June 9, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

xacting a pound of flesh, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer and the public vented collective envy, throwing the book at 26-year-old Paris Hilton for a questionable Sept. 7, 2006 “reckless driving” charge. Labeled in the media as a hotel heiress, Hilton is actually a savvy entrepreneur, whose stunning looks catapulted her to one of the world's most successful models. Controversy hit tsunami proportions when Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca released Paris from women's Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, about 6 miles southeast of downtown LA. Sauer sentenced Paris to serve 23 days on May 16. When she sucked it up and began doing time June 3 after the MTV Music Awards, no one could have imagined what would happen next. Three days later, Baca “reassigned” Hilton to home detention, miffing Sauer who ruled out that option.

      Baca's actions fanned new controversy over the court's jurisdiction once convicts are placed in Sheriff's custody. In LA County, the Sheriff's Dept. manages incarceration of inmates sentenced to county jail. It's not unusual for the Sheriff to modify sentences based on overcrowding or a host of other issues. In Hilton's case, according to Baca, she developed unmanageable mental health problems, prompting alternative arrangements. Baca indicated that Hilton showed “inexplicable deterioration” in Sheriff's custody following her initial 3-day stay at the Lynwood facility. Yet Sauer dragged Paris back to court believing that Baca usurped his authority and sentencing instructions. In reality, Baca did what he does for countless other inmates after Superior Court judges impose sentences. No judge should second-guess the Sheriff once inmates are remanded into county incarceration.

      Before Paris opted for county jail, she was given the chance of private detention, something akin to hotel confinement. Her publicist Elliot Mintz, who was briefly fired after her original sentence May 16, advised her to opt for county jail, believing her fans would be unforgiving. Little did he know that Paris suffered from claustrophobia, panic disorder or some other mental condition making county jail confinement intolerable. Sauer had no right or authority once Paris was placed in Sheriff's custody to interfere with Baca's decision based on medical evidence to deal with her specialized needs. Baca and the Sheriff's Department routinely modify sentences of countless inmates to accommodate various circumstances. Most judges have nothing to do with sentenced defendants once they're in the Sheriff's hands. Paris' case involves publicity-hungry judges and elected officials.

      City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo got into the act, admonishing Baca for inappropriately intervening. Delgadillo doesn't routinely confront the Sheriff's Dept. for modifying the sentencing of inmates given specific sentencing instructions by a variety of Superior Court judges. Degadillo jumped into the fray, joining the hoards of Paris-bashers too envious of her wealth and looks to admit the travesty of Sauer's sentence. Even Baca admitted publicly that Paris' sentence went beyond usual or customary punishments for similar offenses. “The only thing I can detect as special treatment is the amount of her sentence,” said Baca. Not only was her “reckless driving” conviction questionable considering her .08 [the legal minimum] blood-alcohol-level but suspending her license seemed excessive. Plenty of “reckless driving” convictions don't result in suspended licenses.

      Living in West Hollywood above the famous Sunset Strip, Paris and her Bentley sports car are well-known to Sheriffs' deputies keeping track of her platinum blonde hair. She's admitted being “pulled-over” and “hit-on” by Sheriff's deputies getting free look without hoards of paparazzi. She's been a target of the Sheriff and paparazzi, routinely harassed because she's one of Hollywood's hottest commodities. Screaming, “It's not right,” and calling out “Mom,” Paris was led away kicking-and-screaming June 8 from Sauer's Hill St. courtroom. “I at no time condoned the actions of the sheriff and at no time told him I approved the actions,” said Sauer, referring to Baca's move to reassign Hilton to electronic-monitored home detention. There's a legitimate legal question whether a Superior Court judge can supersede the sheriff once the defendant is placed in county jail.

      City Atty. Delgadillo and Judge Sauer overstepped their authority usurping the discretion of the Sheriff to determine how best to manage inmates in the county jail. Countless numbers of inmates routinely have their sentences altered based on many factors, including medical conditions, good behavior and jail overcrowding. When Baca interceded for Paris and reassigned her to home detention, he did so based on medical evidence. Jumping on the publicity, Sauer and Delgadillo overreacted, forcing the 26-year-old multimillionaire entrepreneur back into court. “At no time did I approve the defendant being released from custody to her home,” said Sauer, acting as if he controls the Sheriff's Dept. Baca's move may have riled Sauer or raised eyebrows in the media but the Sheriff was well-within his rights to manage the county jail or any inmate as he sees fit.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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