TMZ reports:
Just 82 minutes after Nicole Richie checked herself into Lynwood jail, she left a free woman.
According to the official website of the L.A. Sheriff's Dept., Richie checked in at 3:15 PM and was released at 4:37 PM. She was assigned to a cell for only 35 minutes!
Nicole Richie's mugshot
A Sheriff's source tells TMZ Nicole was routinely processed and released according to normal operating rules.
One of the more brilliant moves by Nicole's lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, who snuck Nicole in and out while everyone was focusing on Lindsay.
Under-sheriff Larry Waldie insists Nicole did not receive special treatment because of her celebrity status.
He said: "The reality of overcrowding is that would have happened to any female inmate with a 96-hour sentence.
"They were told to treat her like any other inmate, and that is what happened here."
The current sheriff's policy states all non-violent female offenders sentenced to 30 days or less are booked and released within 12 hours.
Filed under: Celebrity • Nicole Richie •
