Nicole Richie freed from jail in 82 minutes

Nicole Richie was released from a California jail after serving just 82 minutes of a four-day sentence for driving under the influence of drugs.

The reality show star, who checked into jail in the Los Angeles suburb of Lynwood at 3.15pm local time yesterday, was released at 4.37pm “based on her sentence and federal guidelines”, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Maribel Rizo said, without elaborating.

When asked whether Richie spent her brief sentence in a cell, Rizo replied: “No further comment.”

Under a federal court mandate to manage jail overcrowding, those sentenced to 30 days or less for a non-violent offence were usually released within 12 hours, the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

Under the guidelines, Richie was “treated in the same manner as other inmates with a similar sentence”, the statement said.

Richie, 25, was originally sentenced to 96 hours in jail, but that was reduced to 90 hours because of time served when she was arrested.

Richie arrived at jail with her lawyer and boyfriend Joel Madden, sheriff’s spokeswoman Kerri Webb said.

Just hours before Richie did her time, Lindsay Lohan was charged with seven misdemeanour drunken-driving and cocaine charges for two arrests in the last four months. Lawyer Blair Berk arranged a plea bargain and Lohan was sentenced to one day in jail and 10 days’ community service. She must complete a drug treatment programme and was also fined and placed on 36 months’ probation.

Richie served her time at the county jail for women in Lynwood, the same place her The Simple Life co-star Paris Hilton was housed for nearly three weeks after she was convicted of driving on a suspended licence while on probation for an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

Richie was arrested on December 11 last year after witnesses reported seeing her Mercedes sport utility vehicle heading the wrong way on a freeway. The California Highway Patrol said officers found her parked in the car pool lane.

Richie pleaded guilty in July to a misdemeanour driving under the influence charge in a deal with prosecutors that helped her avoid a potential year in jail because it was a second DUI conviction. Her first conviction was in 2003.

Richie, the daughter of singer Lionel Richie, told authorities after being arrested in December that she had smoked marijuana and taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin, a CHP officer said at the time. No drugs were found on her or in her car.