HOLLYWOOD - Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has defended his decision to let Paris Hilton out of jail--and insisted she was given no preferential treatment.
The heiress was yesterday released from Los Angeles' Century Regional Detention Center early and allowed to serve the rest of her sentence--imposed for violating probation--under house arrest.
Prosecutors are furious with the decision and immediately filed a petition, calling for Baca to be held in contempt of court.
But the sheriff insists the decision was made on medical grounds only. He also hit out at critics, accusing them of wishing to punish Hilton because of her celebrity.
Baca tells the L.A. Times, "The problem here is that there is a medical issue and it isn't wise to keep a person in jail with her problem over an extended period of time and let the problem get worse. In my opinion, justice is being served by the decision to have her serve her time at home. She would still be in the county jail if it were not for the medical advice.
"My message to those who don't like celebrities is that punishing celebrities more than the average American is not justice."
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