ReefHound:
She was convicted of reckless driving, not DUI.
In California, misdemeanor DUI (no injuries resulted, it's not the 4th or more in 7 years) is often pleaded down to reckless driving, especially if the person doesn't have priors.
I don't see why people have such a hard time believing she could be confused about whether or not her license was still suspended. Hello? This is Paris Hilton we're talking about. She could be confused about how to start the car.
Paris was quite aware of the fact that her license was suspended. She's just making up lame excuses.
The form that was mentioned in this thread and in the news stories, the one that Paris signed for acknowledging knowledge of the license suspension, is called a "DL-310." In order to be arrested for driving on a suspended license in CA, the officer has to show that you were already advised of the license suspension, which is done either by the court, by a law enforcement officer, or by the DMV.
Once completed, it's submitted to the DMV HQ in Sacramento, which updates the offender's driving record to show that he/she was given notice. Law officers and their dispatchers have access to this driving record, and can tell if the person was advised or not. The offender is also given a copy of the form, and while we usually ask for the person's signature, it's not required for this form (and I've had a couple refuse to sign it). The officer simply swears under penalty of perjury that notice was given.
In addition, If Paris was at least a .08% at the time of her first arrest, and she possessed a California DL, under CA law if the person was in possession of their California Driver's License, that license is to be seized by the arresting officer and sent back to the DMV along with a thick stack of paperwork. The offender is given a copy of the paperwork, which clearly states that the subject's license will become suspended effective 30 days from the date of arrest. No signature from the offender is required (there's not even a space for it), but we do obtain a thumbprint to prove identity.