Star of 'Simple Life' Heads Behind Bars

July 27, 2007 — -- Nicole Richie today became the second "Simple Life" star to be sentenced to time in the slammer.

Richie, like her co-star and friend Paris Hilton, was sentenced to four days in jail after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs.

Richie will get credit for time served and was also given three years' probation.

Richie, 25, arrived at the Glendale, Calif., courthouse Friday to face a DUI charge filed less than a year ago. She initially pleaded not guilty in February to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The reality TV star was arrested in early December after witnesses reported seeing her black Mercedes-Benz SUV heading the wrong way on a Burbank, Calif., freeway. The California Highway Patrol said she was found parked in the car pool lane.

An officer at the time said the daughter of pop singer Lionel Richie admitted to authorities that she had smoked marijuana and taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin.

No drugs were found on her or in the car.

The judge who handled the case noted that she was lucky nobody was killed.

Richie also had a June 2003 DUI conviction that made her eligible for a possible sentence of 90 days to a year in jail, a fine of $390 to $1,000 and suspension of her license.

At the court appearance, Richie was accompanied by rocker boyfriend Joel Madden, the lead singer of Good Charlotte, with whom she is rumored to be three months pregnant. Richie wore a black dress and large sunglasses, and dodged her way through a crowd of photographers to get into the courthouse.