Cy Waits may face criminal charges

Reported by the Canadian Press (edited)

Paris Hilton’s boyfriend was driving under the influence of marijuana when he was arrested with the celebrity socialite on the Las Vegas Strip last summer, according to a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors Thursday.

Cy Waits, 35, faces a felony charge of being under the influence of marijuana, and misdemeanour charges of possession of marijuana and driving under the influence. The former nightclub mogul could face up to four years in prison if convicted of the felony charge.

A toxicology report shows Waits had marijuana in his blood around the time of his arrest. Although drug possession is often a misdemeanour, it is a felony in Nevada to use or be under the influence of any illegal drug.

Waits’ attorney, David Chesnoff, said his client is not guilty. Chesnoff said he has not received the forensic evidence.

“We are looking forward to vigorously defending the matter,” Chesnoff said Thursday. “At this point it is just an allegation.”

[According to a police report,] Waits told the officer he had just finished smoking. His pupil size appeared normal, but his breath smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot and he appeared to wobble when he stood.

Waits passed a test in which the officer asked him to follow a finger with his eyes. But Waits failed a walk-and-turn test and a one-leg-stand test, showing poor balance in both, according to the report.

A vehicle search turned up the remains of a moist marijuana cigarette.

Waits’ arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 17 in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Chesnoff, who also represented Hilton in her criminal case, said he would challenge the legality of the stop. He said the officer did not have probable cause that Waits was driving while impaired. He also questioned why the officer continued his investigation after Waits passed the eye test.

“When he passed, it should have been over,” Chesnoff said.

From: JWB
Time: January 20, 2011, 11:32 pm

mmmmm! Feb 17, 2011. How do they pick these dates? Poor Paris. xoxo to P.

From: Jen
Time: January 21, 2011, 4:58 pm

I was thinking that too.

Cy Waits seems like a really good guy. I hope all goes well for him.

From: JWB
Time: January 24, 2011, 12:29 am

This Cy/Las Vegas drama has cost Paris a lot. (Hundreds of thousands of dollars, I suspect.) and her good reputation, as a party girl, the best ever. Cy was responsible for Paris Hilton’s safety that night, and her care. What happened, Paris ended up in jail. So bad.

From: Jen
Time: January 24, 2011, 11:42 am

Bad press does not seem to hurt Paris with her ever expanding fan base.

The Vegas incident was unfortunate but Paris will survive. No one expects Paris to be perfect, lol.
Too big a deal was made over a very small amount of coke.

As for Cy, his “felony” seems to be having residue from one joint in the car. Much ado over nothing.