NEW YORK - The pavement might as well have been a catwalk: With a subtle smile, Naomi Campbell strutted out of a Manhattan garbage truck garage in a shimmering, bare-shouldered gown and stiletto sandals, stepping into a silver Rolls Royce and pulling away as paparazzi snapped pictures.
The British supermodel had cleaned up her act by getting down and dirty. She sauntered out of the drab Department of Sanitation facility just after 4 p.m. Friday, having finished five days of court-ordered community service for assaulting her maid.
"Miss Campbell completed her service successfully," said her boss for the week, sanitation Deputy Chief Albert Durrell.
Residents of the Lower East Side apartment complex across the street came running to catch a glimpse of Campbell as she left. They laughed and cheered the glamorous woman the media has often painted as a hothead.
But Durrell said there were no problems. "From what I understand, she was pleasant the entire time," Durrell said of her five days at the Manhattan District 3 Garage on the East River.
Her chores included sweeping garage floors, mopping and sweeping hallways, and scrubbing toilets, as well as "the locker room detail," Durrell said.
Equipped with washcloths and scrub brushes, she worked wearing an orange, reflective Department of Sanitation vest, stretch pants, combat boots and a dust mask.
"She was on her hands and knees at some point," the green-clad sanitation official added in a matter-of-fact voice. "She did scrub the bathrooms."
He said Campbell showed up each day on time, at 8 a.m., and worked till 4 p.m. During lunch breaks, she and co-workers ordered pizza.
It was part of a program of community service approved by the district attorney to fulfill court sentences.
In January, Campbell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for throwing her cell phone at her maid over a missing pair of jeans. The incident happened in Campbell's Park Avenue apartment last year.
Her maid, Ana Scolavino, required four stitches to her head, since the phone apparently was crystal-encrusted. Campbell said it was an accident because she did not intend to hit the woman.
Misdemeanor assault is punishable by up to a year in jail.
In an agreement with prosecutors, the Manhattan Criminal Court judge sentenced Campbell to perform five days of community service, take anger management classes and pay $363.32 in restitution to Scolavino, as well as covering her hospital bills.
"It was a pretty interesting week," Durrell concluded after the supermodel left the sanitation depot Friday.
