'Real Housewives' star Karen Huger on trial for DUI crash in Maryland

A "Real Housewives of Potomac" star is on trial this week after an alleged drunk driving incident in March resulted in a car wreck.

Karen Huger, 61, faces eight charges total, including Driving a Vehicle While Impaired by Alcohol and Driving a Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol. 

Just before midnight on March 19, 2024, authorities said Huger crashed her car near Oaklyn Drive in Potomac.

A man who witnessed the wreckage testified in court Tuesday that the car smelled like alcohol. Other witnesses who testified in court Tuesday included a volunteer EMT who responded that night, along with two police officers.

The EMT told the jury, that Huger refused treatment on the scene and "swayed" as she tried to get into the ambulance. 

Once inside the ambulance, she testified Huger used profanity towards the first responders.

The EMT testified, that Huger told them to "f—k off" and "go f--k yourselves" on more than one occasion. However, she would also compliment a female firefighter a few minutes later.

"You’re so pretty, and you’re so beautiful," the EMT told the jury, referring to Huger’s alleged statements.

In court Tuesday, body camera footage was also shown to the jury. 

The body camera was worn by an officer who arrested Huger. He is heard on camera telling her she was "hammered," as she appeared to slur her speech in the cruiser.

"This is bulls—t," Huger is heard saying. "I hate you, you know that?"

Kush Arora, a defense attorney not affiliated with this case, said it’s not unheard of for DUI cases to go to trial. However, Arora said it is a bit unusual that Huger’s attorneys would not try the case in District Court first, given how appeal laws work in Maryland.

"If a DUI case is, for example, in the District Court, usually, it’s the appropriate thing to have your trial in the district court. Try to win there, or at least try to win on some of the charges," Arora said.

If the outcome is not favorable for the defendant, Arora said the charges could be brought to the circuit level.

According to reports, Huger refused a breathalyzer and field sobriety test. Arora said in a case like this, body camera video could be critical.

"Over the last several years it’s been available to us, it’s been a game changer with respect to DUI cases because it really gives us an opportunity to put eyes on the situation, a situation that oftentimes doesn’t make it to court for months, perhaps people’s memories fade, information is not as clear," he said. "The body camera footage really helps clear that up, and I think a finder of that … whether it’s a judge or a jury … is going to rely heavily on that information when making a determination about that evidence in the case."

According to a motion filed in July, attorneys for Huger tried to get the case dismissed by claiming the evidence collected was a result of an illegal search and seizure. In response, prosecutors filed a motion stating some of the statements made by Huger were made while medical professionals were trying to treat her and not during a custodial interrogation.

The state rested its case Wednesday, along with the defense. Huger's team presented two witnesses, including her cousin who testified he was on the phone with her when the car crashed. 

He testified, Huger was upset over personal matters, but her speech did not seem slurred or abnormal.

The jury was delivered the case around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and has not returned with a verdict as of this writing.

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