'Real Housewives of Potomac' star Karen Huger sentenced to year in jail after DUI conviction
Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Real Housewives of Potomac star Karen Huger was sentenced to one year in jail after a jury in Maryland convicted her of crashing her Maserati into a street sign while drunk.
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann also ordered a one-year suspended sentence that Huger, 61, must serve if she violates her five-year probation. He also required her to pay $2,900 in fines.
And Huger won't be allowed to drive for a year after she's released.
"You were filled to the gills with alcohol," McGann told her in court in Rockville.
Huger had faced up to two years behind bars after being arrested for the fourth time in 17 years, all alcohol-related traffic cases.
"Driving under the influence is extremely dangerous behavior. We prosecute thousands of DUI cases every year and take them seriously," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement.
"This defendant's case was not handled any differently based on the facts and her traffic history. We encourage the public to always drive sober and practice safety on the roads."
In December, Huger was convicted of driving under the influence, negligent driving, not managing the car's speed to avoid crashing and not telling authorities about her updated address.
Huger was cleared of reckless driving charge.
"I understand better the brutal clarity of the fact that when you're behind a car driving you're not just driving for yourself," Huger told the judge. "It's my responsibility to make sure that my community members make it where they need to be safely."
The wreck took place on March 19, 2024, when she struck a median and crosswalk sign at an intersection before colliding with a parking sign and coming to a halt just off the roadway.
She was alone in the 2017 Maserati.
The day after the crash Huger said in a statement to TMZ: "Last night I met a girlfriend for dinner, we talked and brought up some very emotionally sensitive topics. I was crying on my way home and saw a car heading right for me. I swerved to avoid the head-on collision, hit the divider and then a tree. I'm hurt, bruised up a bit, but so grateful I am alive! I did receive citations, one of which was unrelated to the incident which is understandable, but what was most surprising is that the car that almost hit me just drove away!"
After her conviction, she had a 28-day stay at a rehab treatment center in Florida, which prosecutor Jordan Kramer said was akin to a "luxury four- to five-star hotel experience."
Huger sought treatment for antidepressant abuse and trauma stemming from when she was raped as a student at the University of Virginia, defense attorney David Martella said.
She missed the taping of the season 9 show's reunion.
Real Housewives of Potomac debuted in 2016 with Huger as an original cast member.
She is nicknamed "the Grande Dame" of high society in suburban Washington on the Bravo show.
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