Hotel heiress Paris Hilton was ordered back to jail Friday after a hearing on whether she should serve her sentence for driving on a suspended license in prison or under house arrest.
Hilton's case has sparked controversy over whether the rich and famous get favorable treatment by U.S. law enforcement officials.
Hilton was released from a California jail Thursday for unspecified medical reasons and told by the local sheriff's department that she could serve the remainder of her sentence at home -- despite an explicit ban on house arrest by Judge Michael Sauer. Sauer ordered Hilton back to court after the Los Angeles city attorney Rocky Delgadillo filed a petition late Thursday questioning her release.
Hilton's driver's license was suspended after she failed a sobriety test in September and pleaded no contest to reckless driving. She was penalized after police twice caught her driving with a suspended license this year.
Hilton had asked to participate in Friday's hearing on the phone from home, but the judge ordered her to appear in person.
Last month, a judge sentenced Hilton to 45 days in custody. The sentence was to have been reduced to 23 days in jail, but when it was changed to a period of house arrest, the sentence reverted to 45 days. Jail authorities credited her with having served five days, since she surrendered late Sunday and was released early Thursday.
Hilton's lawyer says she spent her jail time in a solitary cell, confined for 23 hours a day.
Paris Hilton's great-grandfather, Conrad Hilton, founded the global Hilton Hotel empire. She is perhaps best known for her role in a (Fox) television reality show, "The Simple Life" though her critics say she is famous for being famous.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
