Paul Pelosi
Paul Pelosi

YOUNTVILLE, Calif. — Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, could face misdemeanor charges and a possible suspension of his driver's license following a hit-and-run collision in California's Napa County wine country last week, according to local authorities.

The Napa County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Saturday that Pelosi, 86, was driving his brown convertible Friday afternoon in Yountville, a small town roughly an hour north of San Francisco, when he struck a legally parked, unoccupied vehicle on the side of the road. According to the sheriff's office, Pelosi briefly stopped after the collision before driving away from the scene. A witness saw the crash and called 911.

Shortly afterward, sheriff's deputies located Pelosi's convertible with significant damage to its front end on a nearby road approximately a quarter of a mile from the collision site, according to authorities. Pelosi reportedly told officers he was aware he had hit something but was uncertain when or what had caused the damage to his vehicle. No injuries were reported in connection with the crash, and authorities said Pelosi did not have alcohol in his system at the time.

Deputies determined that Pelosi was at fault in the collision, according to the sheriff's office. He was not arrested at the scene, which authorities described as standard procedure for a misdemeanor property-damage crash of this nature. The Napa County District Attorney's Office will now review the case and decide whether to move forward with formal charges.

In addition to the potential criminal case, the sheriff's office said it would submit a driver re-evaluation referral to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, a process officials described as common when older drivers are involved in traffic collisions. That review could result in restrictions being placed on Pelosi's driving privileges or a full suspension of his license, depending on the outcome of the DMV's evaluation.

A spokesperson for the Pelosi family said Paul Pelosi has personally apologized to the owner of the damaged vehicle and has assured them that he would take responsibility for the cost of the repairs.

The incident marks the latest in a series of legal and personal difficulties involving Pelosi in recent years. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence stemming from a separate crash, also in Napa County. He was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation in that case, though he ultimately served only one day in a work program after receiving credit for two days already served and additional credit for good conduct. As part of the terms of his probation, Pelosi was required to complete a three-month drinking driver class and install an ignition interlock device in his vehicle, a system that requires a driver to provide a breath sample proving sobriety before the engine will start. He was also ordered to pay approximately $5,000 in restitution to the victim of that crash for medical bills and lost wages, along with nearly $2,000 in fines.

Later in 2022, Pelosi was the victim of a separate, unrelated incident in which he was attacked and severely beaten with a hammer inside the Pelosis' San Francisco home. His attacker, David DePape, was convicted and sentenced in 2024 to 30 years in prison for the assault.

Nancy Pelosi, who served as speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, continues to represent a San Francisco-based congressional district, a seat she has held for decades. She has not publicly commented on Friday's incident as of this report.

Under California law, a misdemeanor hit-and-run involving property damage, rather than injury, typically carries potential penalties that can include fines and up to six months in county jail, though sentencing outcomes vary widely based on the specifics of a case and a defendant's prior record. Prosecutors in Napa County have not indicated a timeline for their charging decision.

The California DMV's re-evaluation process for older drivers typically involves a review of a driver's recent record, and in some cases a request for additional medical or vision documentation, or a retest of driving skills, before determining whether a license should be renewed without restriction, limited to certain conditions, or revoked. The process can take weeks to complete depending on the volume of cases under review and the specific circumstances involved.

Friday's collision has drawn renewed public attention to Pelosi's driving history, given that this marks the second incident involving a vehicle he was driving in Napa County within the past several years. Local authorities have not indicated whether Friday's crash will have any bearing on the terms of his earlier probation from the 2022 case, which has since concluded.

As of this report, the Napa County District Attorney's Office had not announced a formal charging decision, and the California DMV had not indicated the outcome of any driver re-evaluation referral submitted in connection with the case. Paul Pelosi has not made a detailed public statement beyond the apology conveyed through a family spokesperson following the incident.

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