Fans of The Hills got a double dose of drama on Monday when Spencer Pratt's younger sister Stephanie Pratt came to visit. Until now Stephanie has stayed out of the public eye — and Star knows why!

Early in the evening of May 8, 2006, in Honolulu, Stephanie, then 20, and a 20-year-old friend — the daughter of a production executive on the locally filmed ABC series Lost — were arrested by the police after security guards at ritzy Neiman Marcus department store caught the duo attempting to shoplift a number of clothing items.

BAG LADIES
According to police records, Stephanie and her friend had tried on more than 50 pieces of clothing in a dressing room, then left the store after the friend paid for five items. When apprehended outside by store security, Stephanie was wearing two stolen items of clothing and carrying five more in her shoulder bag, while her friend was wearing one stolen item and carrying five more in her bag. Together, the value of the stolen merchandise totaled $1,300!

Stephanie and her friend found themselves in even more hot water after they were arrested on charges of second-degree theft and transported to police headquarters. After they both claimed they took prescription medicine and gave permission to have their bags searched, Stephanie was then arrested on further charges of "promoting a dangerous drug" in the third degree, and "promoting a harmful drug" in the third and fourth degree (her friend was also arrested on a single drug charge). The friend didn't help matters when, according to the police report, she told an officer that she'd call her lawyer and "be out of this mess and then fly to Paris." She then added: "If I leave the state, then f--k you guys and your charges! You can't do anything to me once I'm not here!"

The two young women were each released on $15,000 bond. News of her arrest hit Stephanie's family hard — especially her 24-year-old brother! "Spencer was so upset that, for a time, he refused to even speak to his sister," says a family insider. "Their dad's a respected dentist, and they had a privileged upbringing in Southern California's Pacific Palisades. Stephanie's arrest was like a black mark on their perfect family."

LUCKY BREAK
Fortunately for Stephanie, after meeting with the police the day after the arrests, a prosecutor from Honolulu's First Circuit District Court decided to drop all the drug charges. At a Sept. 7, 2006, hearing at District Court, Pratt pled guilty to second-degree theft (her friend pled no contest). Stephanie avoided jail time when she was given a deferred five-year sentence, and she was ordered to pay $3,000 to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund.

Stephanie made the effort to get her life in order after the ordeal, says the family insider; she attended American University in Paris and currently studies fashion at a private Los Angeles college.

"The rift between Spencer and his sister is totally healed now," the insider adds. "He knows how hard Stephanie's worked to get it together, and now she's got his full love and support."

starmagazine.com

posted by Lysandra @ 1:43 PM