Palms’ George Maloof has final court hearing on DUI charge

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011 | 8:22 a.m.

It took less than 15 seconds, but Palms hotel-casino owner George Maloof’s brush with the law last year on a drunken driving charge ended this morning with a quick routine follow-up hearing before a Las Vegas judge.

Maloof, who pleaded no contest in May to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence stemming from a traffic stop in October as he was driving home from a wedding, didn’t show up in person at the follow-up hearing today in Las Vegas Justice Court.

However, he was represented by his attorney, Donald Campbell, who provided proof that Maloof had met all of the conditions of his plea agreement. In the agreement, he paid $580 in fines, completed a DUI class and attended a victim impact panel discussion.

"I assume he stayed out of trouble," Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman asked.

Maloof's attorney told him "yes." And the judge dismissed the case and went to the next person on the docket.

“Thank you,” the attorney said, turning and leaving. He waived off any questions from the Sun.

Maloof was charged after a traffic stop late Oct. 9, 2010, near his home southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. He was stopped at 11:36 p.m. near the Spanish Trail Country Club in the southwest valley, where he lives, and was then booked into the Clark County Detention Center. He was released the next day.

Metro officers said they stopped him after seeing he was going 72 mph in a 45 mph zone. The arrest report said he failed three sobriety tests.

Maloof said he had four beers at a wedding and that his blood-alcohol level was measured at .086 percent, which is just over the legal limit of .08 percent in Nevada.