Shannon Beador Claims She Did 'Nothing Wrong' After Being Pulled Over and Cited by Police While on Probation for DUI

The Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador finally addressed her recent traffic citation after her 2023 DUI.

Beador was pulled over and cited for “operating a handheld wireless telephone or electronic wireless communication device” while driving her car in May.

Beador spoke about the incident with Kelly Ripa on her “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast on August 13, insisting she didn't "do anything wrong."

“Everything’s fine!” she said. “I was coming from an interview confessional, and I got a new puppy, and when I was at a red light, my phone buzzed.”

The reality starlet claimed she “wasn’t driving,” so she looked at her phone and saw it was “one of those political texts” and put the phone down. She said a police officer then stopped her, claiming she had violated California’s “no-touch” phone law that makes it illegal for drivers to have physical contact with their mobile phone. Beador noted that when she was pulled over, the law had yet to go into effect.

“It’s not a moving violation, but people like to report!” she noted.

Beador detailed she told the officer she hadn’t done anything wrong but he insisted she was texting.

“I wasn’t,” Beador said she replied to the cop. “I was at a red light, picked the phone up and put it down.”

Beador — who is currently on probation until November 2026 — was ordered to pay a $20 fine. She did not get any points on her record.

In September 2023, Beador was arrested for a hit-and-run and driving under the influence after she crashed her car into a house and fled.

After parking her car, she got out alongside her dog — who was in the vehicle during the incident — and pretended to walk to him.

Following her arrest, Beador's attorney Michael Fell claimed she was "apologetic and remorseful," adding that she offered to pay for the damages. She enrolled in an outpatient wellness program that includes alcohol components, according to sources.

Beador received three years probation, 40 hours of community service and nine months in an alcohol program.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer criticized the judge's decision after sentencing, telling a media outlet, "Driving under the influence must have consequences. When a judge gives someone who not only drove with a blood alcohol level of .24 – three times the legal limit – but then ran away from the scene of a DUI collision a slap on the wrist, you are sending a message that DUIs are not serious crimes that demand accountability."