Paul Pelosi, the 86-year-old husband of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was charged on Friday with leaving the scene of an accident after he crashed into a parked car and continued driving this month, the Napa County District Attorney\u2019s Office said.<\/p>\n
The misdemeanor hit-and-run charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in county jail, or a fine not exceeding $1,000, or both. Mr. Pelosi was also charged with the infraction of making an unlawful turn, the district attorney\u2019s office said in a news release.<\/p>\n
A lawyer for Mr. Pelosi, Amanda Bevins, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday afternoon. A representative for Ms. Pelosi also could not be immediately reached.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors say that on July 3, Mr. Pelosi was driving a Maserati convertible in Yountville, Calif., when he struck a parked Tesla and continued down the street until his own car broke down about half a mile away. He told the authorities that he had known he hit something, but was not sure what.<\/p>\n
Mr. Pelosi \u201cfled the scene and did not make any attempts to contact the owner of the Tesla,\u201d according to a complaint filed Friday with the California Superior Court in Napa. He later told law enforcement officers that he had \u201cintended to go back to leave his information,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n
The incident prompted the authorities to request that Mr. Pelosi take a behind-the-wheel driving test to evaluate whether he could safely operate a vehicle. The district attorney\u2019s office said Friday that it could ask the court to stop Mr. Pelosi from driving only as a condition of probation. The maximum probation for a hit-and-run charge in California is one year.<\/p>\n
The crash alarmed a circle of Mr. Pelosi\u2019s longtime acquaintances in Northern California, especially given Mr. Pelosi\u2019s troubled driving record. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence after he crashed his Porsche into an oncoming Jeep.<\/p>\n