Karen Huger, a star of the Bravo series "The Real Housewives of Potomac" affectionately dubbed "the Grande Dame," has been handed down a one-year jail sentence stemming from her March 19, 2024 arrest for driving under the influence (DUI), as per FOX 5 DC. Upon her release, she will face an additional year-long ban on driving and a five-year probation period.
The presiding judge in Montgomery County, Maryland, imposed a two-year sentence on Huger, suspending one year, remarking, "You were absolutely saturated with alcohol." This marked Huger's fourth brush with the law related to drinking and driving in a span of seventeen years.
On the fateful night in 2024, Huger's Maserati collided with a pole in Potomac. Footage from the police body camera, exhibited during the trial and subsequently released to the media, including Bravo, portrayed Huger as slurring her words and clearly intoxicated. She rambled on about the show and producer Andy Cohen to the arresting officer, who remained unimpressed.
In December, Huger was convicted of five out of six charges, encompassing DUI and negligent driving. She was acquitted of reckless driving. Notably absent from the multi-episode Season 9 reunion of "Potomac," filmed on January 9, Huger was in a rehabilitation center following the verdict, a move her co-stars perceived as a sympathy ploy ahead of her sentencing. Instead, she submitted a video message.
Throughout Season 9, filmed shortly after her March arrest, Huger vowed her innocence, asserting she would be cleared at trial. Her castmates, however, felt deceived during the reunion.
The day after the accident, Huger issued a detailed statement to TMZ, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support amidst her "frightening experience." She recounted, "Still in shock from last night's incident, I am nonetheless thankful to be alive today. The grief over the loss of my beloved mother ebbs and flows like waves, and with Mother's Day nearing, it felt more like a tsunami.
"Last night, I met a friend for dinner, where we delved into deeply emotional topics. Tears streaming down my face as I drove home, I spotted a car bearing down on me. In a bid to avert a head-on collision, I swerved, hitting a divider and then a tree. I'm hurt, bruised, but oh so grateful to be alive! I did receive citations, one unrelated to the incident, understandable. What astonished me most was the car that nearly hit me just sped away!
"I stress the importance of recognizing one's emotional state while driving. May this serve as a reminder to everyone to buckle up. My mother may be my guardian angel, but it was the seatbelt that truly saved my life."
