Rees’ ice cream run leads to court
Katie Rees' 3 a.m. ice cream cravings have turned into a legal nightmare for the dethroned Miss Nevada.
She's facing an April 9 trial on six misdemeanor charges, including resisting arrest and various traffic counts.
Accompanied by her attorney, Michael Cristalli, Rees, 23, showed up in Judge Joe M. Bonaventure's courtroom Friday looking like someone on her way to a cocktail party. She wore high heels and a sexy white sundress that featured a plunging neckline.
She was not asked to enter a plea, and she remains free on bail.
In her first interview since the Feb. 6 incident, she told Vegas Confidential outside the courtroom that she was on her way to a 24-hour store to buy some Ben & Jerry's strawberry cheesecake ice cream when she got pulled over.
Cristalli said the traffic stop escalated when Rees asked for a ride home after her car was impounded, and police discovered she was driving with a suspended license.
"She got agitated," Cristalli said, when police declined her request for a ride. While restraining her, police "slammed her head against a back window and threw her to the ground," he said. Her front tooth was chipped when her head struck the window, and she suffered numerous bruises from the scuffle, he added.
Cristalli said he intends to file a subpoena to see whether the incident was caught on police video. He added he wants to see video of her arriving at the detention center "to see her condition."
"It was 3 a.m. in the morning, and she's a young girl. There were safety concerns," he said.
Cristalli confirmed he's considering a police brutality lawsuit.
Rees was charged with speeding, operating a motor vehicle with suspended license plates, failure to produce proof of insurance and resisting a police officer.
Rees, a Florida native, was stripped of her crown by The Miss Universe Organization and co-owner Donald Trump in December 2006 after racy photos surfaced on the Internet. She was shown kissing young women, exposing one of her breasts and pulling down her pants to show her thong underwear at a party in Tampa, Fla.
She dated Palms owner George Maloof last year and currently works in the "entertainment industry," Cristalli said.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Kevin Janison, Nate Tannenbaum, Ron Kirsch and Gerard Ramalho are emceeing the second St. Baldrick's cancer charity event today at McMullan's Irish Pub, 4650 W. Tropicana Ave. Members of the Las Vegas Wranglers hockey team are queueing up for the cranial cueball look, as well as R-J columnist John L. Smith, for the second year in a row. The buzzfest begins at 2 p.m. and runs to 4 a.m. ...
Monte Carlo headliner Lance Burton is the face of a public service announcement for "One Special Basket for One Special Child," a private outreach program for local homeless and underprivileged children. Barbara Kenig started the E Bunny program 18 years ago. Information:http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/ebunny
Actors Dominic West and Sonja Sohn from HBO's "The Wire" will be at TAO Las Vegas tonight.
SIGHTINGS
"American Bandstand" icon Dick Clark, in the crowd at Penn & Teller's show (Rio) on Thursday. ... Hilton headliner Barry Manilow, checking out ghostbar (Palms) on Thursday with members of his band. Earlier, Manilow attended Cirque du Soleil's "Love" at The Mirage. ... Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, attending the 8 p.m. performance of the Blue Man Group on Thursday at The Venetian. ... Belated birthday greetings to burlesque icon Tempest Storm, a leap year baby who celebrated No. 20 last Saturday with friends at Bootlegger Bistro. For the record, that makes her 80 years old.
THE PUNCH LINE
"There's new evidence that the Grand Canyon is 17 million years old -- 17 million years! It's the second-oldest thing in Arizona after John McCain.'' -- Craig Ferguson
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
