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Paul Pelosi, husband of US congresswoman and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, is facing a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge after he allegedly crashed into a parked vehicle and left the scene in early July, the Napa county district attorney announced on Friday.
No passengers were in the struck car, authorities said, but the vehicle was left with “major” damage. A spokesperson for the Pelosi family told several outlets in a statement that Paul apologized to the owner of the vehicle and was assuming responsibility for the damage.
Pelosi, ۸۶, has also been charged with an infraction of making an unlawful turn related to the ۳ July incident in Yountville, California. His arraignment is scheduled for ۱۴ August. A representative for Pelosi could not be immediately reached for comment.
Pelosi has run afoul of the law while driving in the past, according to public records. He has traffic infractions in California stretching back at least to ۲۰۱۱, including citations for failing to stop at a red light, a stop sign violation and driving to the left of double yellow lines.
In ۲۰۲۲, Pelosi pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges after a crash in Napa county. California highway patrol officers observed that Pelosi’s speech was slurred and smelled a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage”, the Associated Press reported then. He was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation.
Pelosi is not being charged with a DUI, the Napa county district attorney’s office said, because no evidence has been presented to indicate he was impaired. “The district attorney’s office has an ethical obligation to file only those charges that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt based on the available evidence,” read the statement.
Body cam footage of the alleged hit-and-run will not be released to the public until the conclusion of the case to preserve Pelosi’s right to a fair trial should that stage be reached, the DA’s office said.
