‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’ star Karen Huger was found guilty of drunken driving and negligent driving charges just months after she was arrested in a car crash in March.
A Maryland jury on Wednesday found the Bravo personality guilty of failing to adjust his speed to avoid a collision and failing to notify authorities of a change of address, The Times confirmed after the trial this week. Huger was found not guilty on charges of reckless driving.
In a statement to the Times, Maryland U.S. Attorney John McCarthy said drunk driving is “an extremely dangerous behavior.”
“We prosecute thousands of DUI cases every year and we take them seriously. This defendant’s case should not have been handled differently based on the facts and her traffic history,” McCarthy added. “We encourage the public to always drink and drive and practice safety on the roads.”
The 61-year-old reality TV star could face up to two years in prison.
Huger’s attorney, A. Scott Bolden, told PEOPLE in a statement that he was “disappointed” with the verdict but “of course I respect their decision and appreciate the time they took to hear our case.”
Huger’s legal representatives did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Thursday.
Maryland police arrested Huger on March 19 after officers responded to the scene of a single-vehicle crash in Potomac around 11:50 p.m. local time, the Montgomery County Police Department confirmed to the Times. The Huger reportedly crossed the median and struck a street sign, causing the Maserati to crash.
She was booked on suspicion of drunk driving and other traffic violations and was later released from police custody. Shortly after his arrest, Huger attributed the accident to grief and his mother’s 2017 death. “Grief comes and goes like waves, and as Mother’s Day approached it felt like a tsunami,” she said.
Huger told TMZ that the accident happened after he and a friend discussed an “emotionally sensitive topic” over dinner and that he became emotional on the way home. Huger claimed in a statement in March that he swerved to avoid the accident after seeing another vehicle “heading right towards me.” She said she hit a partition and then a tree.
This week’s trial includes witness testimony and police body camera footage reviewed by The Times, which shows Huger moments after the car crash. In the video, she can be seen refusing to surrender her driver’s license, appearing to slur her words and asking police to not touch her and leave her alone. In another video, she asks the officer to turn off his body camera.
Rapture’s sentencing date has been tentatively set as January 29, 2025.
