Celebrity Drug Case Prosecutor Is Charged Himself With Buying Crack Cocaine

March 21, 2011— -- The tables have turned on a Las Vegas deputy district attorney who earned a name for himself prosecuting high-profile celebrities accused of drug crimes. He has now been arrested for allegedly buying crack cocaine from a street dealer.

David Schubert, 47, a veteran prosecutor who pressed charges against Paris Hilton and singer Bruno Mars, was arrested Saturday after police watched a suspected drug dealer hop in his BMW. The police found crack in the car after pulling it over, according to an arrest report.

District Attorney David Roger said he was informed of the arrest almost immediately and Schubert had been "suspended pending termination."

"I am very much surprised by the arrest," Roger said of his colleague. "I never saw anything to suggest he was abusing crack cocaine."

Schubert, who worked at the D.A.'s office since 2002, could lose his job and be permanently disbarred, Roger said.

"David has always been a professional and will have the same rights as anyone else. He is entitled to a fair trial," the district attorney said.

Rogers said prosecution will be turned over the Nevada Attorney General's office to avoid a conflict of interest.

The arresting officer said the man accused of dealing Schubert drugs told cops the attorney had "been coming in the area for approximately six to seven months to purchase narcotics," according to court documents.

The accused dealer, Raymond Streeter, said Schubert "would come by the area three to four times a week and use Raymond to purchase $40 worth of cocaine."

The cop said he saw "a white, rocklike substance" that he believed to be cocaine in plain view.

Schubert prosecuted socialite Paris Hilton, who was arrested in August and charged with cocaine possession after .8 grams of the substance was found in her handbag. She pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to probation.