Nicole Richie went to jail Thursday to serve a four-day sentence for a DUI charge but was released after only serving 82 minutes.
So was it special treatment or standard procedure? The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says she was released due to overcrowding in the jail and says most non-violent female offenders with a 30 or less sentence are released within 12 hours. A statement released by the sheriffs department said she was “treated in the same manner as other inmates with a similar sentence” and she was released “based on her sentence and federal court guidelines.”
The five-month pregnant socialite was accompanied by her lawyer and boyfriend, Joel Madden. Richie entered the jail at 3:15 p.m. and was released at 4:37 p.m.
“Miss Richie was cooperative during the process,” the sheriff’s statement said.
Richie was sentenced to 4 days jail time and a $2,048 fine after she plead guilty to a DUI charge on July 27. The ‘Simple Life’ star was arrested in December 11 after police pulled her over for driving on the wrong side of a freeway in L.A. Police also say she admitted to doing marijuana. Richie seemed ready to make things right in court and told Diana Sawyer in an interview that serving time in jail was “my way of paying my dues and taking responsibility and being an adult.”
Richie and Madden are expecting their first child together, but the couple says they are holding off tying the knot because they want to do it “on their time.” Richie also says she wants time to enjoy planning the wedding and not have to wear a high-waisted dress to cover up her stomach.
