Real Housewives OC Star Deals With DUI Charges

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — This has been a tough year for a "Real Housewives of Orange County" cast member, both enduring a highly publicized divorce and now facing DUI charges for allegedly driving under the influence, at nearly three times the legal limit, according to court records obtained Tuesday.

Gina Kirschenheiter, 34, was charged Friday with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08, both misdemeanors, according to court records.

Kirschenheiter, who is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 28 at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, is accused of having a blood-alcohol level of .20, according to the complaint.

Kirschenheiter, who joined the "Housewives" cast last season and whose divorce was a major storyline on the show, was pulled over on Jan. 30 in Rancho Santa Margarita.

In her Instagram apology, Kirschenheiter fronted her statement with a meme: The Best Apology is Changed Behavior."

"Bad choices have bad consequences. Mine are magnified bc I chose to share my life with you on a very public stage," she wrote. "Those who are a part of my real life gave me words of encouragement and love knowing the content of my character and the love in my heart."

Receiving countless comments and notes, she also responded to the social norms and horror of easy acceptance of her DUI.

"As embarrassed and hard on myself as I’ve been in these past few days, I’ve been shocked by the astonishing amount of 'it could have happened to anyone' and 'we’ve all been there' that I’ve received through friends both close to me and on social media. It shouldn’t be any of us. EVER!"

Both she and her estranged husband have had multiple brushes with Orange County Sheriff's Department for traffic infringements, according to The Blast.

Matthew Kirschenheiter was pulled over for "failing to obey traffic control sign," the Blast reported, and Gina Kirschenheiter also was pulled over for allegedly driving while "operating a cell phone."

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