‘RHOP’ Star Karen Huger’s DUI Arrest: Bodycam, Verdict and Sentencing in Court Case

Karen Huger’s 2024 DUI arrest and conviction led the Real Housewives of Potomac star to enter rehab for treatment. In Touch breaks down what happened during her arrest, the body camera footage she tried to suppress and how much jail time Karen faces after her guilty verdict.

Karen Huger Was Sentenced to Time Behind Bars

Karen was officially sentenced to two years in prison, with one year suspended at Montgomery County Circuit Court on February 26, 2025. The reality star now has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision, and 90 days to ask for reconsideration.

Looking forward, she won’t be allowed to drive a vehicle for another year upon her release, according to a Fox 5 reporter who was present during her sentencing hearing. The judge determined that Karen would also have to pay $2,900 in fines and use a breathalyzer device to start her car when she is done serving her sentence.

Following the hearing, Karen is expected to be transported to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

“Huger is at peace she is happy this part of the process is over,” David A Martella, a defense attorney for Beyond the Gates star, shared in a statement. “She’s very happy she’s gone through the recovery process of almost two months.”

Karen Huger Was Arrested and Charged With DUI in March 2024

Karen crashed her 2017 Maserati into several poles and a tree in Montgomery County, Maryland on March 19, 2024. Officers believed she was under the influence of alcohol and placed her under arrest.

Prosecutors later charged Karen with driving under the influence, negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, endangering property, life and person, and various other counts.

Karen Huger Said She Was ‘Grateful to Be Alive’ After the Crash

The Bravolebrity didn’t directly address her arrest but took to social media on March 20, 2024, to say that the memories of her late mother, Georgia Wooden, played a part in the car accident.

“Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes during this very frightening experience. I am still in shock from last night’s incident, but grateful to be alive today. With the passing of my beloved Mother, grief comes and goes in waves, and with Mother’s Day approaching it has felt more like a tsunami,” Karen wrote.

Karen’s mom died from kidney failure in November 2017, and her dad, Benjamin B. Wooden Jr. died in June 2018, from natural causes after long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

She added, “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!” She ended, “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, my Mother may be my Guardian Angel but the seatbelt saved my life.”

Karen Huger Tried to Suppress Bodycam Footage of Her Arrest

A judge shut down a plea from Karen’s attorneys to not allow statements she made to police and bodycam footage of her DUI arrest from being used as evidence, In Touch exclusively reported in November 2024.

As In Touch first reported, Karen claimed after her crash she spoke to officer Kyle Baxter and Sergeant Brett Trahan. The reality star said she was checked out by medical professionals but refused further treatment.

Her husband, Raymond Huger, showed up at the scene. Karen claimed one of the officers grabbed her arm after she was finished at the ambulance.

She said he told her she was not free to leave. Karen said the officers started to interrogate her but did not read her the Miranda Rights. She argued that any statements she made to the police were the result of an illegal interrogation and should be suppressed.

In response, prosecutors argued, “Officers additionally observed the driver of the vehicle, the defendant, unsteady on her feet, swaying, stumbling, and slurring her speech. Furthermore, the initial caller spoke to officers on scene and indicated that prior to police arrival, the defendant appeared confused and the caller smelled alcohol when interacting with the defendant.”

They continued, “[Karen’s] statements were not obtained as a result of a custodial interrogation because some of her statements were made while Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel were treating the defendant for potential injuries. [Karen’s] statements made during this time were free and voluntary, and were stated out loud while in the presence of police officers.”

The judge allowed the bodycam video of Karen’s arrest into her trial, determining, “All interrogation took place in the road or roadside, in public with emergency personnel and the emergency vehicle in immediate proximate. The police never used force, impeded [Karen’s] movements or drew weapons. The interrogation was brief and [Karen] was uncooperative, which was her right.”

Karen Huger Said She ‘Didn’t Recognize’ the Woman in Her Bodycam Arrest Video

“I’m sitting there in the courtroom, like, I have to finally watch it, because I kept saying, ‘Well, surely they made a mistake, right, because everything’s not connecting for me,’” Karen told husband Ray in a pre-taped segment that aired at the end of the RHOP reunion finale on March 2, 2025. The video was filmed on December 27, 2024, the day before Karen entered rehab.

“And I watched, and I’m telling you, I didn’t recognize that woman,” she continued. “I didn’t know her.”

Karen later admitted, “It’s my fault. What happened to me was self-inflicted. I drove. I had that accident. I put people in danger.”

Karen Huger Was Found Guilty of Driving Under the Influence

A Maryland jury found Karen guilty of driving under the influence, negligent driving and failure to control speed to avoid collision on December 18, 2024. The charge of reckless driving was dismissed.

Karen fired her legal team following the verdict, hiring the new team of David A. Martella and Barry Helfand to represent her while asking for a motion to postpone her sentencing on January 9, 2025.

The Bravo star’s new lawyers said they last spoke to Karen as she entered an out-of-state program that was appropriate for her case and that they had not received permission from Karen to disclose the nature of the program.

“The rules of the program severely limit the counsel’s ability to communicate with Ms. Huger and prepare for sentencing. [Karen] will be returning from that program on January 28, 2025, the day before the scheduled sentencing,” the motion read. Karen’s sentencing was postponed until February 26, 2025.

Karen Huger Told a Judge She Had Withdrawals From Pills While in Rehab

Karen claimed the stress of losing her parents providing “responsible leadership on” the show Real Housewives of Potomac led to her taking more anti-depressants, and she believed this played a role in her being arrested for driving under the influence, In Touch exclusively reported on February 24, 2025.

“Ms. Huger took her last dose of the anti-depressant medication on December 28, the night before she checked into her residential program. She reports that four nights later, she woke up completely drenched in sweat as she went through withdrawal,” her lawyer said.

The revelation came in court documents obtained by In Touch, where Karen’s legal team asked a Maryland judge to go light on her at her sentencing.

Prosecutors Were Seeking Jail Time for Karen Huger

Since Karen has two prior DUI convictions, prosecutors asked that she be sentenced to six months in jail, which is far less than the maximum sentence of two years.

“In the nine months leading up to trial she did not enroll herself into any type of alcohol treatment program or support group. Instead, the Defendant spent 6 days at the Miraval Resort in Arizona in August of 2024 – which her former defense attorneys depicted to the State as a ‘holistic wellness program.’ Miraval is not a rehab or counseling center of any kind and is rather quite simply a luxury spa,” the prosecution argued.

They said, “Ms. Huger then enrolled in a private recovery program at the Beachside Recovery Center in West Palm Beach, Florida in January 2025 only after being convicted for the third time of driving while impaired/under the influence. Beachside Recovery is described on its website as a ‘luxury alcohol treatment center.’”

“It is therefore the State’s recommendation that your honor sentence the Defendant to two years suspend all but 6 months of executed incarceration followed by a period of supervised probation,” their request read.

In addition, prosecutors wanted Karen to have to install an interlock device on any car she drives and complete a Mother’s Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel as well as submit to any additional alcohol treatment programs that the court sees fit.