Paul Pelosi did not show up for his first court appearance on a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge in Napa County, sending his lawyer instead to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The 86-year-old husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was absent from Napa County Superior Court on Friday when attorney Amanda Bevins appeared in his place and formally denied the charge. No explanation was offered for why Pelosi skipped the hearing. Bevins declined to comment when Fox News Digital reached her afterward.
The arraignment stems from a July 3 crash in Yountville, a small town in California's wine country, where prosecutors say Pelosi struck a legally parked Tesla while driving a burgundy Maserati convertible, then left the scene without identifying himself to the vehicle's owner or providing the information California law requires.
It is the second time in four years that Pelosi has faced criminal charges tied to his driving in the same county, and the latest chapter in a decades-long record of traffic incidents that now stretches across four Bay Area counties.
Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley filed one count of misdemeanor hit-and-run and one infraction for an unsafe turning movement on July 18, roughly two weeks after the crash. The criminal complaint, previously obtained by Fox News Digital, alleges Pelosi damaged the parked Tesla and drove away without attempting to locate its owner.
A witness called 911. Deputies found Pelosi approximately a quarter mile from the crash site. His Maserati had severe front-end damage. The parked Tesla sustained what AP News described as "major" damage.
Pelosi told officers he knew he had hit something but was not sure what caused the damage to his car. He said he had intended to return to the crash site. The complaint does not indicate whether anyone else was in the vehicle at the time.
Authorities confirmed Pelosi was not under the influence. His blood alcohol level tested at 0.00. DA Haley stated there was "no evidence that Pelosi was driving under the influence at the time of the crash." He was not arrested at the scene. The sheriff's office recommended a misdemeanor charge for fleeing and referred Pelosi to the DMV to assess his fitness to drive.
A Pelosi family spokesperson told NBC News that "Mr. Pelosi has personally apologized to the owner of the vehicle and assured them that he would take responsibility for the damage."
The Napa County District Attorney's Office acknowledged it does not typically issue news releases for misdemeanor hit-and-run cases involving only property damage. It made an exception here because of the "significant public and media interest" surrounding Pelosi.
That interest is not hard to explain. Pelosi is a venture capitalist married to one of the most powerful figures in modern Democratic politics. His legal troubles have drawn sustained national attention, and this latest incident arrived while his wife remains an active member of Congress.
Nancy Pelosi has refused to answer questions about her husband's hit-and-run charge. Fox News Digital pressed her on the matter, and she declined to respond.
Friday's arraignment is not Pelosi's first trip through the Napa County court system. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI after a separate crash in the same county. A judge sentenced him to five days in jail, three years of probation, restitution and fines, a DUI education program, and an ignition interlock device, a breathalyzer wired to his car's ignition that prevents it from starting if alcohol is detected.
The 2022 case drew heavy coverage and became a recurring political liability for Nancy Pelosi, who was still serving as Speaker of the House at the time. The Yountville hit-and-run now adds a second criminal charge in the same jurisdiction in four years.
The New York Times reported last month that Pelosi has received driving infractions in four Bay Area counties: San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, and Napa. The same report noted that in 1957, Pelosi was behind the wheel during a crash in San Mateo County that killed his 19-year-old brother. A jury later cleared him of wrongdoing in that incident.
That history, spanning nearly seven decades and multiple jurisdictions, is the backdrop against which Friday's not guilty plea landed. The Washington Examiner noted that the sheriff's office referred Pelosi to the DMV for a fitness-to-drive assessment, a step that signals authorities have concerns beyond the single incident.
California law permits defendants in misdemeanor cases to have an attorney appear on their behalf, so Pelosi's absence from court was legal. But it was still conspicuous. An 86-year-old man charged with fleeing the scene of a crash he allegedly caused, his second criminal traffic case in four years, chose not to face the judge himself.
His attorney offered no explanation and no comment. The Napa County DA's office has not announced a next court date. The criminal complaint does not specify potential penalties, and the source does not detail maximum sentencing exposure for the charge.
Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, has kept a busy public schedule. She attended the dedication of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on June 18 and has continued her congressional duties. She has also launched a democracy institute bearing her name in partnership with UC Berkeley.
None of that public activity has included a single word about her husband's latest charge.
Ordinary citizens who hit a parked car and drive off face the full weight of the system without a family spokesperson, a high-profile attorney, and the option to simply not show up. Paul Pelosi got all three, and the court accepted it without objection.
