Kim Richards Rejects Plea Deal
The reality-TV star "wanted community service instead of community labor."
— -- Actress Kim Richards has rejected a plea deal, authorities say.
The reality-TV star, who was arrested in April after an incident at the Beverly Hills Hotel, was offered a deal by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, but one component apparently didn't sit well with her team.
Richards' lawyers argued that she should be able to complete community service instead of community labor, Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the D.A.'s office, told ABC News. Santiago says community labor entails more physical labor, such as cleaning a freeway, than community service, which could involve volunteering for a non-profit organization.
Santiago added that the proposed deal included 36 months of probation, 30 days of community labor and 52 Alcoholics Anonymous classes. Richards was supposed to appear at a hearing Monday, but she reportedly missed it because of an injury.
"She didn't attend because she had some sort of injury to her foot, and therefore couldn't appear," Santiago said in an interview with People magazine. "The judge accepted the explanation and allowed her attorney to appear on her behalf."
The former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star, 50, was arrested April 16 and charged with public intoxication, trespassing, resisting an officer and battery on a police officer after the incident at the hotel.
A pre-trial hearing was set for Sept. 14.
According to The Associated Press, she pleaded not guilty in June to the charges, and last month, Richards, who has struggled with alcohol addiction, revealed that she'd spent time in rehab after her arrest.
"My arrest was my 'a-ha I get to go away now and rest and take a break from all this," she in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight.”
"I don't want anybody to take this wrong, but I truly needed a break from hospitals, family, the pressure. I needed to go away."
Her lawyer did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
Related Stories
ABC News Live