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When John J. Benoit Met Paris Hilton
Posted by: Darin Schemmer | 05/11/2007 11:29 AM
One of the additional perquisites of having a boss with an impressive career in law enforcement is the quality of his personal stories!
This is on the front page of today's Capitol Weekly News:
John Benoit and Paris Hilton have a past.
Before he was a Republican Assemblyman representing Palm Desert, Benoit was the commander of the Indio-area California Highway Patrol. Almost exactly seven years ago, he was on duty driving an unmarked car on I-10 on his way to a meeting.
"A black BMW went by me like I was standing still," Benoit said. "It took me a while to catch up."
The driver of the car was Paris Hilton.
He estimates Hilton was going 125 miles per hour, though he only clocked her at 110 when he reached her. While he didn't know specifically how much such a ticket would be, going that fast in 70 mph zone is "one step below reckless driving." He estimates it could have been $1,000 or more.
"As I was writing the ticket I realized who it was," Benoit said. "She wasn't quite as famous back then. I started to explain the likely insurance costs that would follow a ticket of this type, then I realized I should just forget it."
He described Hilton's attitude as "a little confused" but basically unconcerned.
"It just didn't seem to matter to her," Benoit said. "She was going to drive the way she was going to drive."
Hilton has since upgraded her BMW to a Bentley. In the last year she's been cited in separate incidents for DUI and doing 70 mph in a 35 mph zone on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. She's been in the news since a judge ordered her to jail for 45 days for ignoring a court orders relating to these charges--and for asking Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon her.
Darin, take your lips off Benoit's rear end for a minute please.
I know Phil Reddish didn't teach you to be a brown-noser when you were at Norco High.
Have some self-respect, or at the very least remember the neighborhood.