Shannon Storms Beador on Tuesday gave an update to fans in what marked the first comments the Real Housewives of Orange County star has made since she was arrested in September for an alleged DUI and hit-and-run.
In a selfie video posted to Instagram, the mother of three revealed that she plans to face her legal troubles head-on, once she’s allowed to talk about it.
“I know it’s been awhile since I posted and there’s been a lot of talk about what happened recently. But unfortunately right now, I’m not in the position to comment,” Beador said. “But there will be a time when I can, and I intend to be open, honest, and authentic.”
The short clip, shot as Beador walked her dog Archie, concluded with a glimpse of the pooch.
“Right now, I’m focusing on getting healthy, getting back to myself, and walking Archie,” she said.
View this post on Instagram
Beador was arrested in Newport Beach, California around 1:17 a.m. local time, police previously told, after “fleeing the scene from a collision that caused property damage.” She was “booked for two misdemeanors — DUI alcohol hit-and-run — and released on a citation,” they said.
A source confirmed that Beador allegedly crashed her vehicle into the side of a residential building and damaged a built-in planter box before pulling away. Her vehicle was found by police, abandoned in the middle of the road.
Authorities later discovered Beador walking her dog Archie not far from the crash, the insider said. The dog had been in the backseat of the car, but was not injured.
In the wake of her arrest, Beador entered herself into a mental health treatment program.
Her lawyer Michael L. Fell previously told that she was “extremely apologetic and remorseful” after her accident. “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,” he said.
She’s received support from many of her costars too, including Gunvalson, who told Access Hollywood’s Housewives Nightcap podcast that Beador was “one incredible woman.”
“[Shannon’s] taking ownership of this,” Gunvalson, 61, said. “She’s already made restitution with the little garden wall that she hit. And you know, I’m so proud of her. I mean, I’ve hugged her and loved her. And I said, ‘You know what? Accidents happen. This is an accident. You take ownership of this. You get in front of it.’ She’s doing all of that.”
The RHOC O.G. also explained that Beador had lost her phone the night of her accident, which prompted her to drive under the influence. “The ironic thing is Shannon doesn’t and hasn’t, drive, drink, drive. She is an Uber girl. She spends a ton of money a month. But that night it was an unfortunate situation,” Gunvalson said. “She had to have been out with some friends and she might have had one too many and then went to go try to find her phone. She thought she left it at the restaurant, so she got in her car because she couldn’t call an Uber to find her phone because she didn’t have her phone.”
Beador is expected to appear at BravoCon 2023 next month, in Las Vegas.
