Karen Huger, The Grand Dame of The Real Housewives of Potomac, is currently facing trial over a car crash that occurred earlier this year, and shocking new details about the incident have emerged.
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As previously reported, on March 19, Huger’s 2017 Maserati veered off the road, crossing a median and colliding with several road signs. The Montgomery County Police Department charged her with a DUI and DWI, although Huger has claimed she wasn’t under the influence of alcohol during the incident.
Radar Online later reported that first responders pulled the Surry County queen, who had “bloodshot eyes” and “slurred speech,” away from the wreck as the Maserati she was driving caught on fire.
New details of the case emerged during the first day of the reality TV star’s court trial on Dec. 17.
According to Fox 5 D.C., a man who witnessed the accident testified that the car had a strong smell of alcohol. Other witnesses, including a volunteer EMT who responded to the scene and two police officers, also gave their accounts.
The EMT testified that Huger, 61, was uncooperative, refused medical treatment at the scene, and appeared to “sway” while trying to get into the ambulance. Once inside, the EMT claimed Huger used profane language toward the first responders, repeatedly telling them to “f—k off” and “go f–k yourselves.” Despite this, she later complimented a female firefighter just minutes afterward, telling her she was “pretty.”
Body Camera Footage From The Crash Site Was Shown
Body camera footage of the incident was also shown to the jury on Tuesday, reports Fox 5 D.C. At one point during the recording, an officer allegedly could be heard describing Huger as “hammered” as they tried to apprehend her following the collision.
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The star, famously known as the Grande Dame on #RHOP, appeared to slur her speech during her interaction with the officers, according to Fox 5 News D.C.
“This is bulls—t,” Huger allegedly said in the recording. “I hate you, you know that?”
In addition to her DUI and DWI charge, Huger is also facing charges of negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property, adds PEOPLE. Her trial will last for two days.
Karen Huger Filed A Motion To Have Body Camera Footage & The Case Dismissed
Back in July, Huger’s attorneys filed a motion attempting to have the case dismissed, arguing that the body camera footage and other evidence from the crash was obtained through an illegal search and seizure and that Huger was never informed of her Miranda rights.
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They also claimed she refused further medical treatment because one of the officers at the scene allegedly grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving after EMTs had assessed her, In Touch Weekly noted.
In response, prosecutors argued that some of Huger’s statements were made while medical professionals were attempting to treat her, not during a custodial interrogation. The star asked for bodycam footage and any other evidence connected to the case to be withheld from the trial. However, in November, a judge denied her request for dismissal.
Earlier this year, Huger told TMZ that she wasn’t drunk during the car crash but was “emotional” and grieving her late mother, especially with Mother’s Day approaching. The RHOP star explained that before the crash, she had dinner with a friend and discussed deeply emotional topics, leaving her feeling distressed.
While driving home to Potomac, Maryland, Huger said she began to cry but quickly went into fight-or-flight mode when she noticed a car heading straight toward her Maserati.
“I swerved to avoid the head-on collision,” she claimed. “I’m hurt, bruised up a bit, but so grateful I am alive!” the entrepreneur added.
Karen Huger Told BOSSIP About A Previous DUI
Back in 2016, the Grand Dame told BOSSIP about a time when she was arrested in 2006 for drunk driving after she said she’d had a celebratory dinner and was on her way back to her home in Potomac.
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“I pulled over,” said Huger about the incident. “Technically I wasn’t driving, I was pulled over into a parked area where you should not park. I turned off the car and I called my husband. However, the teddy bear cops found me first, and I collected my DUI.”
She later pled guilty to driving while impaired by alcohol and received probation. She also told BOSSIP that she owned the incident and was standing strong in the aftermath.
“I said when I took this project, I own everything about me that makes me, me,” she said. “What makes me this woman people can look at. You have ups and downs, curves. The thing is, in life, you still stand, and I’m still standing.”
What do you think of this latest development on Karen Huger’s DUI case?
