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Hilton says she will not file appeal

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Times Staff Writer

Paris Hilton’s revolving jail door appears to be closed until the confined celebutante completes her sentence, according to a statement her attorney released Saturday.

A day after a judge ordered a tearful Hilton back to jail, lawyer Richard A. Hutton said she intends to fulfill the remainder of her 23-day sentence for violating her probation on alcohol-related reckless driving charges.

“Today, I told my attorneys not to appeal the judge’s decision,” Hilton said in the statement. “While I greatly appreciate the sheriff’s concern for my health and welfare, I intend to serve my time at L.A. County Jail.”

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On Thursday, Sheriff Lee Baca allowed Hilton, who had been jailed three days, to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest at her West Hollywood home.

He said that she was suffering from a medical condition, which he did not disclose, and that she had served 10% of her sentence, about the amount most female inmates serve in the county.

The decision sparked criticism from elected officials and the public, and an irate Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ordered Hilton back to his courtroom for a quick detour Friday before sending her to jail again.

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As she left the courtroom, Hilton cried, “Mom, Mom! It’s not right.”

Her decision to forgo an appeal momentarily takes some heat off the larger issue arising from the case: whether the sentencing judge or the county Sheriff’s Department has authority over how much of a sentence is actually served.

“Being in jail is by far the hardest thing I have ever done,” Hilton said in her statement.

“During the past several days, I have had a lot of time to think, and I believe that I am learning and growing from this experience.

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“I have also had time to read the mail from my fans. I very much appreciate all of their good wishes and hope they will keep their letters coming. I love you and miss you so much!”

Hilton was sentenced to 45 days for repeatedly violating probation on alcohol-related reckless driving charges from an incident last year. The sentence was reduced to 23 days by sheriff’s officials because of automatic credit for good behavior.

Last year, William Barron Hilton, who is Paris’ grandfather and is ranked by Forbes as one of the 400 richest Americans, donated $1,000 to the Friends of Sheriff Lee Baca campaign.

He also donated to the campaigns of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn. Efforts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Paris Hilton’s statement concluded with a swipe at the media:

“I must also say that I was shocked to see all of the attention devoted to the amount of time I would spend in jail for what I had done by the media, public and city officials. I would hope going forward that the public and the media will focus on more important things, like the men and women serving our country in Iraq and other places around the world.”

jonathan.abrams@latimes.com

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Times staff writers Andrew Blankstein and Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.

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