Paris Hilton’s Brother, Conrad Hilton Checked into Rehab After Flight Outburst
More than six months after his outburst on an international flight from London to Los Angeles, one of the heirs to the Hilton hotel fortune, 20-year-old Conrad Hilton checked into rehab.
Hilton, the brother of socialite Paris Hilton, made the decision after appearing in court on Tuesday, February 2. That court date came after he had surrendered to authorities that were investigating the airplane incident, which he said was the result of taking a sleeping pill.
Transcontinental Trouble
During the July 2014 British Airways flight, Hilton was verbally abusive to five flight attendants trying to calm him down, screaming obscenities while threatening to fight anyone who challenged him.
Witnesses said that he got out of his seat at least 20 times during the flight that lasted 10 ½ hours, including when the flight took off and the seat belt sign was on. The flight’s drink service was delayed by 40 minutes due to Hilton, according to investigators.
In addition, Hilton’s screams were directed at the flight’s passengers, referring to them as “(expletive) peasants.†In the midst of this entire outburst, children on the plane began crying.
Hilton came close to hitting a flight attendant in the face as he struck the plane’s bulkhead on multiple occasions. He also grabbed an attendant’s shirt, saying he could get the crew fired, and that his father would get him out of any trouble. At one point, the odor of marijuana was detected by some passengers who claimed that Hilton was the guilty party.
Eventually, Hilton fell asleep and crew members (authorized by the captain of the flight) eventually handcuffed him for the remainder of the flight.
Hilton’s Defense Explained
After Hilton was released on $100,000 bail, with specifications to surrender his passport and stay within California, his lawyer, Robert Shapiro, said that his defense is based on the ingestion of the sleeping pill. According to Shapiro, numerous cases of people having experienced adverse effects from taking such pills exist.
Incidents Before and After
Despite having lived just two decades, Hilton has had multiple troubles with the law, including a marijuana arrest. Two parked cars were damaged after he smashed into them while driving in Los Angeles in 2011. Then, the marijuana arrest came back to haunt him the following year, when a positive test for the drug resulted in a probation violation.
The airplane outburst failed to chasten Hilton since one month later, he narrowly escaped death in an auto accident near Palm Springs. Hilton’s BMW crashed after changing lanes and skimming a Volkswagen before colliding with a tractor-trailer. Multiple witnesses reported a reckless driver going 200 miles per hour.
After the crash, Hilton had to be removed from the vehicle by the jaws of life, yet sustained minor injuries. Drugs or alcohol were not involved.
The Prognosis
When Conrad Hilton checked into rehab, it was expected he would spend at least 30 days in treatment.
