Hilton appeared in a FIFA World Cup courtroom after being arrested during the second half of a quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands, won 2-1 by the Dutch, at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Friday. The authorities dropped the charges against Hilton, after her co-accused and a former Playboy playmate of the month, Jennifer Rovero, “acknowledged to be in possession of cannabis, and pleaded guilty,” said Brig. Sally De Beer, a spokeswoman for South African police.
Rovero, 31, from New York, was sentenced to a fine of 1,000 rand ($130) or 30 days imprisonment, De Beer said. Police said Hilton and Rovero were taken into custody after officers could smell whiffs of cannabis coming from their direction, while they were outside the stadium. Bodyguards then ushered the two inside the stadium, where police apprehended them, the police said in a statement Friday. A publicist for Hilton said the incident was a “misunderstanding.”
“Paris Hilton was questioned today by police in South Africa on allegations of smoking marijuana,” a publicist for Hilton, Dawn Miller, 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 statement said.
