Ariana Biermann, daughter of The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Kim Zolciak-Biermann, was arrested Saturday morning in Forsyth County, GA.
The 20-year-old influencer was booked on three different charges: misdemeanor DUI driving under the influence of alcohol, misdemeanor improper/erratic lane change, and underage alcohol possession/purchase of alcohol.
Ariana was arrested around 1 A.M. and released on bond the same day. Also arrested at the same time was her on-and-off boyfriend, Hudson McLeroy, who is also only 20.
However, the Don’t Be Tardy star has now denied any charges that she was drinking or under the influence of alcohol at the time. Ariana claimed that her behavior when she was pulled over could be blamed on being anxious.
There is no information in the records that indicates whether or not Ariana or her boyfriend were subject to a field sobriety test, which would directly determine if the couple were under the influence.
Her attorney has now spoken out on her behalf, denying any speculation that the underage Ariana had been drinking or was intoxicated.
Attorney for Ariana Biermann says officer was incorrect in assessment
Ariana’s attorney for this issue, Justin Spizman, said the following in a statement about his client: “Ariana was involved in a minor fender bender. When police arrived on scene, the investigating officer immediately initiated an investigation for DUI.”
He continued, claiming her behavior could be blamed on anxiety, “Despite Ariana’s constant invocation that she was upset and anxious from the minor accident, the officer incorrectly concluded she was impaired by alcohol. That was not the case.”
The Georgia-based attorney concluded, “She wholly denies these allegations and intends to fight these charges because she is not guilty of them.”
Another interesting part of Ariana’s arrest was that she was booked under the name Ariana Zolciak, not Ariana Biermann. It was reported back in 2013 that Kim’s husband, ex-NFL player Kroy Biermann legally adopted both Ariana and her older sister, Brielle.
If Ariana was legally adopted by stepdad Kroy, it is curious that her name was never legally changed nine years later. Could it be that Ariana and Brielle were never legally adopted?
Ariana grew up in front of the world on Bravo
Ariana was only six-years-old when her mom, Kim, starred in the first season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta as the sidekick of OG Housewife NeNe Leakes. Fans loved the close relationship Kim had with her two daughters, and how she struggled to raise them as a single mom with the help of a boyfriend who she called Big Papa.
Kim left RHOA during the fifth season, and during her time, she filmed a wedding special with her family titled Don’t Be Tardy for the Wedding, which was a play on the song Kim sang called Tardy for the Party.
After Kim exited RHOA, she was offered a spin-off show to feature just her and her growing family, called Don’t Be Tardy, which aired on Bravo for eight seasons.
Ariana has gone on to use her fame from reality TV to become a social media influencer, and has 656K followers on Instagram.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo
Even for first DUI offense, her choosing to FightDUICharges to avoid legal penalties is a good idea. Hopefully at least she learns from this DUI experience and does not take the chance getting charged with a 2nd DUI offense in the future.