Baca defends decision

In a tense exchange with county supervisors, Sheriff Lee Baca defended his handling of celebrity heiress Paris Hilton on Tuesday and said Hilton's 23-day prison stay was longer than most inmates with similar sentences. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The confrontation came little more than 12 hours after Hilton strode out of jail, renewing public criticism about Baca's defiance of a judicial order earlier this month when he let the celeb go after serving just three days of a 45-day sentence for driving offenses.

An angry judge ordered Hilton returned to jail, where she stayed until Tuesday just after midnight.

But Baca vehemently denied any favoritism Tuesday and said he feared for Hilton's life when he released her early.

He also cited data that show an overcrowded prison system in which many inmates serve far less time than their actual sentence.

"The data shows there wasn't any preferential treatment," Baca said. "In fact, the preferential treatment given to Paris Hilton is that she served more time than anyone else for this offense."