Court drops drug charges against Paris Hilton
A court in South Africa has dismissed a case filed against Paris Hilton for allegedly using illegal drugs. The hotel heiress appeared late Friday in a FIFA World Cup courtroom after being detained due to suspicion of possession of marijuana at a quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands.
The authorities dropped the charges against Ms. Hilton after Jennifer Rovero "acknowledged to be in possession of cannabis, and pleaded guilty," according to Brig. Sally De Beer, a spokeswoman for South African police.
Ms. Rovero, 31, from New York, was sentenced to a fine of 1000 rand (US$130) or 30 days imprisonment.
Hilton's publicist Dawn Miller called the incident a "misunderstanding."
"Paris Hilton was questioned today by police in South Africa on allegations of smoking marijuana," he said in a statement.
"However I can confirm that the incident was a complete misunderstanding and it was actually another person in the group who did it.
"The case has been dropped against Paris and no charges will be made."
When informed that the case had been dropped, Hilton said "thank you" and left the courtroom.
Hilton wrote on Twitter later, "Hey guys, there's a lot of crazy rumors going around. Just want you all to know the truth. Everything is completely fine. I was not charged or arrested, cause I didn't do anything."
"Everyone was super nice and friendly to me," Hilton wrote. "I love South Africa! Such an amazing place, especially during The World Cup! Hope that clears everything up."