US: Speaker Pelosi’s husband gets 5 days in jail, 3 years of probation in DUI

Paul Pelosi pleads guilty to misdemeanour driving under the influence charges related to a May crash

By AP

Published: Tue 23 Aug 2022, 10:00 PM

The husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pleaded guilty on Tuesday to misdemeanour driving under the influence charges related to a May crash in California’s wine country and was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation.

Paul Pelosi already served two days in jail and received conduct credit for two other days, Napa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Solga said. Paul Pelosi will work eight hours in the court’s work programme in lieu of the remaining day, Solga said during Paul Pelosi’s sentencing, which he did not attend.

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State law allows for DUI misdemeanour defendants to appear through their attorney unless ordered otherwise by the court.

As part of his probation, Paul Pelosi will also be required to attend a three-month drinking driver class, and install an ignition interlock device, where the driver has to provide a breath sample before the engine will start. He will also have to pay nearly $7,000 in fines, the judge said.

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Paul Pelosi was arrested following a May 28 crash in Napa County, north of San Francisco, after a DUI test showed he had a blood alcohol content of .082 per cent, just over the legal limit.

Officers responding to the crash after 10pm near the wine country town of Yountville said they found Pelosi in the driver’s seat of a 2021 Porsche Carrera and the other driver standing outside a sport utility vehicle, according to the complaint.

California Highway Patrol officers reported that Pelosi was “unsteady on his feet, his speech was slurred, and he had a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage”.

Pelosi offered to officers his driver’s licence along with an “11-99 Foundation” card when asked for identification, the complaint says. The 11-99 Foundation supports CHP employees and their families.

Prosecutors filed the case as a misdemeanour because of injuries to the 48-year-old driver of the SUV. They have declined to identify the driver, saying the person has requested privacy.

In an interview with investigators from the district attorney’s office, the driver reported pain in his upper right arm, right shoulder and neck the day after the crash. He said he also had headaches.

Pelosi was released on $5,000 bail after his arrest. Speaker Pelosi was in Rhode Island to deliver the commencement address at Brown University at the time. Her office has declined to comment.