Attorney questions why police stopped Paris Hilton's SUV

An attorney for Paris Hilton's boyfriend raised questions about whether Las Vegas police were justified in pulling over her SUV Friday night, prompting the actress' arrest for allegedly possessing cocaine.

Hilton was arrested Saturday with her boyfriend, Las Vegas nightclub operator Cy Waits, who was driving the black SUV stopped by police at 11:22 p.m. Friday after they smelled marijuana.

A police lieutenant found 0.8 grams of cocaine in a purse Hilton was carrying, officials said. Based on the police report, she is expected to be charged with felony drug possession by Clark County prosecutors.

Hilton denied that the purse was hers but said other items inside, including asthma medication, credit cards and $1,300 in cash, were hers, officials said.

Waits' attorney, Richard Schonfeld, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he believes the stop was improper. He said he does not think there was evidence Watt broke any traffic laws or was driving in an impaired manner. Therefore, he said, police had no cause to search the SUV.

He said he was "troubled" by the way the stop was handled.

A police report said Waits failed a field sobriety test.

Hilton and Waits were stopped near the Wynn Hotel, where a crowd gathered as officers prepared to search the Cadillac Escalade for narcotics, according to the police report. Hilton told the officers she needed to use the bathroom and was escorted into the hotel where the cocaine was allegedly found in Hilton's purse.

-- Richard Winton

 

Comments

[latimesreader]

Throw the case out. They smelled pot, but they found NO POT. Lieing cops.

[Don Marshall]

Lets see....Uhhh ! Richard, marijuana is ILLEGAL in Nevada unless you are a MEDICAL user. The strong aroma coming from the SUV may have tipped the police off, whatta ya think?

[Pedro Gambino-Gotti]

Mr. Schonfeld;
Smoke was pouring out the opened SUV windows, and the smoke smelled like pot.
That's not probable cause???
It sounds like you'll be able to gouge this guy pretty good... Si Se Puede!!!

[Jack]

Even if the stop was illegal, that only helps Waits.

[lashes]

Yeah right, both are going to get off. They have pricey lawyers to keep them out of jail that is what money buys. Sadly that is what our society has come to mean nowadays.

Police had probable cause. The distinct odor or marijuana, DUH...would prompt an officer to stop the vehicle. BUT anything to get a rich person out of jail. Not hating just the truth if you have money you sure are kept out of jail. Its not until they kill someone that the authorities have to step up and actually do something.

[Mufon]

It's spelled "lying," reader, and where does the article say no marijuana was found? As for the attorney, he's an attorney for an arrestee, what do you think he'd say? That his attorney and his passenger are dirty?

[Cali]

Read the police report........
They found a roach in the ashtray, Cy had alcohol on his breath, and failed the field sobriety test.

Cy agreed to a blood test, so if was driving within the legal limits he should have nothing to worry about

[Paul]

I love Paris Hilton.
How can I get a date?

[James C. L'Angelle]

Now it's about the handbag being seen in previous photos:

Miss Hilton also markets her own brand of handbag. She is always quite conscious of her appearance including all of her accessories. To deny the purse belonged to her would be going against who she is and what she does.
Had someone else claimed ownership of the purse before all of this happened, she would have insisted it was hers. The public is forgetting why celebrities are indeed celebrities, it is because they pay attention to these minute details everybody else takes for granted.

For other details and discussions involving this case, including the duty of the jury in reaching a verdict, see:

Paris Hilton--"Just the facts Ma'am"

http://www.reconpresseusa.com

[AKV]

Um, I need to use the restroom (so I can dump the coke that I have in my, oops, my friend's bag).

[Amy]

Whoopsie..!! These celebs and their silly twitter feeds :)

[jack]

No Marijuana = Illegal Search based on lies about Marijuana Smoke.

[Mike]

There you go, incompetent attorney already trying to cast doubt on the case. Thats all they do, I wonder why they make them go to law school. Just send them to the police academy.

What a joke?

The attorney is only casting doubt to justify his $100,000 bill for non sense represenatation. She will plead out or be found guilty I gurantee it.

The attorney should have his license taken away and a grand theft report should be written, listing the attorney as a suspect..

Idiot

[Mike]

wow!!!! I need to use the bathroom, she should be sent to prison on that statement.. That tells me she knew she had the drugs and was going to the bathroom to dump it. She disn't have to go to the bathroom

What an idiot!!!!! see ya..6o days in las vegas jail coming Paris. She should go to state prison

[Mike]

This is what will happen:

Her attorney will bark, vegas prosecutors will ignore him and ultimately they will tell her attorney they intend to send her to prison. Scared he will not be able to stop that, he will beg for a plea deal with limited jail time or none. Thats all..

Then he will go to Paris and say, "See I told them, I stopped them from sending you to prison. I am well worth my price." And the truth will be the attorney did nothing but allow the prosecutor to tell him what is going to happen..

[Melanie]

There is a law in some jurisdictions that you can't do stop and search on the basis of marijuana smell only because innocent people can get the smell in their clothes after concerts, being in public places etc and so police need more evidence to invoke those laws. I dont what Nevada law is though.