Paul Pelosi faces misdemeanor charges after striking a parked vehicle in Napa County and leaving the scene, prosecutors announced Friday. The 86-year-old husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was involved in the July 3 collision in Northern California.
The Napa County District Attorney's Office says Pelosi allegedly hit an unoccupied parked car and departed without providing information to the owner. The primary charge carries potential penalties of up to $1,000 in fines or six months in county jail, or both. He also faces a lesser misdemeanor charge for making an unlawful turn.
Pelosi is scheduled to appear in court on August 14. Sheriff's deputies located him near the crash site in a vehicle showing significant damage consistent with the collision. No arrest was made at the time, and investigators found no evidence of alcohol involvement.
A family spokesperson said Pelosi had personally apologized to the vehicle owner and pledged to cover repair costs. The statement noted that Pelosi would not discuss the matter publicly and characterized it as a private issue.
The incident marks the second driving-related legal issue for Pelosi in recent years. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence following a separate crash in the same area. He served five days in jail in August of that year for that conviction.
Pelosi was also the victim of a violent home invasion in 2024, when an attacker assaulted him with a hammer at his residence.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "A second traffic incident in the same county within two years raises questions about what prosecutors will ultimately prove, but the straightforward nature of a hit-and-run charge makes this a cleaner legal matter than the 2022 DUI case."
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