Kim Richards Criminally Charged By Los Angeles District Attorney, ‘RHOBH’ Star Faces Jail Time

Kim Richards’ decision to enter rehab apparently has not swayed the Los Angeles district attorney’s office as prosecutors have filed criminal charges against her. The RHOBH star could serve more than two years in jail.

TMZ reports the L.A. County district attorney has decided to pursue criminal charges against Kim Richards for public intoxication, resisting arrest and battery on a police officer. If she is convicted, a judge could sentence her to up to two and a half years in jail.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Kim entered into a Malibu treatment facility just days after her arrest in April and will continue with an additional 90 days of treatment after she attends her daughter’s wedding later this month.

Although the L.A. district attorney was apparently not impressed with Kim entering rehab, the reality TV star has hopes that seeking professional treatment will help her avoid jail time, an insider told People after Richards’ arrest.

“Kim went to rehab finally because she got arrested, she humiliated her kids and she wants to avoid jail. If the arrest hadn’t happened she wouldn’t be going to rehab; it would be business as usual. She’s in denial that she has a problem.”

Kim Richards was arrested in the early morning hours of April 16 at the Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge. Officers who responded to the call from lounge staff maintain the reality TV star was acting belligerently, was slurring her speech, and reeked of alcohol. After she was arrested and taken into custody, Richards allegedly kicked a cop. At the time of her arrest, she was charged with trespassing, public intoxication, resisting arrest and battery on a police officer.

Kim’s sobriety was a central theme during the fifth season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which finished airing just two days prior to her arrest. When cast mates questioned whether the reality star had relapsed, she vehemently denied that she was drinking again. However, in an interview with Dr. Phil just days after her arrest, Kim Richards admitted that the night of her arrest was not the first time she had been drinking, as People reports.

“I did have drinks a couple other times over the past few months. It was wine. I was ashamed to say anything at the reunion, embarrassed. I would have loved to say to the girls, ‘You know what, you’re right,’ but the way they were coming at me, they didn’t make it easy.”

If a judge sentences Kim Richards to serve jail time, it will not be the first time in the history of the Housewives’ franchise. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice is currently serving a 15-month sentence at a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut.

[Image by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]