Karen Huger sentenced to one year in jail following DUI conviction
Karen Huger has been sentenced to two years in jail with one year suspended following a guilty DUI verdict.
The Grande Dame’s legal saga, stemming from a car crash in March 2024, is ending with one year behind bars.
On Wednesday, after Karen Huger was found guilty of a DUI in December, Montgomery County (Maryland) Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann sentenced the 61-year-old “Real Housewives of Potomac” star to two years in jail (with one year suspended), $2,900 in fines, and five years of probation, NBC News reported.
Huger, affectionately referred to as “The Grande Dame” by fans, was convicted of driving under the influence in December, just months after she was involved in a single-car collision in Montogomery County, Maryland, that left her white Maserati totaled.
Though the reality TV star maintains she lost control of her car while trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle and that she was in an emotional state at the time of the crash, she was charged with a DUI, negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, endangering property, life, and person, and recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.
Other charges included failure to control vehicle speed, driving a vehicle in excess of reasonable and prudent speed on the highway, driving a vehicle on the highway with suspended registration, and failure to notify the administration of a change of address within 30 days.
After Huger received her guilty verdict, she fired her attorneys. She also skipped out on the reunion for season 9 of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” to check herself into a rehabilitation program—a move that was criticized by her “RHOP” castmates during the first part of the reunion for its timing.
Upon her release, Huger will not be allowed to drive for a year after. If she violates her probation, Huger also faces the possibility of being sent back to jail to serve the rest of her suspended sentence.
As she was taken into custody, People magazine reported she told her husband, “You will be alright,” and “God’s got you.”
Huger faced up to two years behind bars for her charges. Prosecutors requested six months in jail, while her defense lawyers asked for no time in favor of rehabilitation. However, prosecutors noted Huger was a repeat offender with three previous alcohol-related traffic infractions between 2006 and 2011—none of which led to jail time.
Shortly after her conviction in December, bodycam footage from the arrest in March was released that showed Huger slurring her speech, struggling to maintain her balance, and becoming belligerent when interacting with emergency personnel. The footage also revealed some headline-making soundbites including Huger referring to herself as “Thomas Jefferson’s concubine.”
A day later, in a statement addressing the arrest, Huger explained she had been having dinner with a friend when the conversation turned to serious and emotional topics. By the time she left, she claimed that the conversation impacted her focus on the road.
“I would like to stress it’s important to understand your emotional state when driving and may this be a reminder to all to use their seatbelts,” she said. “My mother may be my Guardian Angel, but the seatbelt saved my life.”
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