‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Star Shannon Beador Arrested for Alleged DUI and Hit-and-Run

The Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador was arrested and taken into custody over the weekend on charges of drunk driving and a misdemeanor hit-and-run, according to the arrest report obtained by ET.

The incident unfolded in the early hours of Sunday morning, shortly after 1 a.m. P.T., when Newport Beach police officers responded to reports of a hit-and-run incident involving Beador. She was subsequently arrested and booked on these charges, only to be released shortly thereafter.

TMZ was the first to report on Beador’s arrest.

In response to the incident, Beador’s attorney, Michael Fell, tells ET, “I spent quite a bit of time with Shannon yesterday. She is extremely apologetic and remorseful. We will be awaiting the official information on this case as it becomes available, and Shannon is prepared to accept full responsibility for her actions.”

A spokesperson for the Newport Beach Police Department told NBC News that they could not provide details regarding the specific circumstances of the case, including whether there were any injuries involved in the alleged hit-and-run incident. 

A source tells ET, “Shannon got home from a night out and realized she left her phone at the place she was at. She wasn’t able to call an Uber without her phone and decided to drive back to the place, resulting in the accident. Shannon is devastated and knows she made a big mistake. She has always been against drinking and driving and never does. She’s telling friends this lapse in judgment won’t happen again.”

ET has reached out to Bravo. 

On SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live, Jeff Lewis said he was “shocked” about the incident. “I’ve never known Shannon to ever, ever, ever drink and drive. That’s something that we both have discussed previously,” he said. 

Lewis also shared his opinion on the matter, claiming to listeners, “I don’t think Shannon is an alcoholic. As her close friend, I think she’s going through a lot of personal struggles right now and I think that she probably has been leaning on alcohol, but I don’t believe she’s an alcoholic.”

He further alleged, “I am happy to say that she’s going to be entering counseling this week, so I’m happy about that”

The incident brings to mind a recent storyline featured on RHOC, in which Beador and her fellow castmate, Gina Kirschenheiter, engaged in a heated dispute revolving around Beador’s claim that she had prevented Kirschenheiter’s children from being sent to Child Protective Services following Kirschenheiter’s 2019 arrest for a DUI.

At the time, Beador had denied making such a claim. However, during an episode of the reality TV show, a flashback aired that seemingly contradicted her denial, revealing the conversation in which she had made the statement.

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