Rima Fakih Accepts Plea in DUI Case, Ex-Miss USA Pleads No Contest

Rima Fakih was the first Arab-American Miss USA, but in 2011, she experienced a setback when she was pulled over in Michigan and arrested for driving under the influence.

At the time of her arrest on December 3rd, Fakih had been reportedly driving erratically and doing 60 in a 30 MPH zone. When stopped by police, her blood alcohol content was measured at .2- more than twice the legal limit- and an open bottle of champagne was said to be found by cops in the vehicle. Fakih managed to be a bit upbeat after her arrest, tweeting following her first court appearance:

“Sometimes things appear to be going wrong, when in reality they are just being re-arranged for the right outcome!”

However, the beauty queen didn’t put forward an entirely unconcerned face on the microblogging service as her most recent day in court drew nearer. Last night on Twitter, Rima (@rimafakih) tweeted again about the impending court date, saying to followers:

“I can’t sleep ? …Today is the big day…pray for me guys! Love u”

In court today, Fakih pled no contest to a charge of driving while visibly impaired. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but for the purposes of sentencing, courts treat it as such. 30th District Court Judge Brigette Officer in Highland Park, a suburb of Detroit, accepted Fakih’s plea and sentencing in the former Miss USA’s case is set for May 9th.

Rima appeared to be relieved after her court date, commenting afterwards:

“You learn, you pay your price for making mistakes and you move on. I’m very happy I can put this behind me… I’m just going to move on and make sure I learn my lessons.”

Lawyers for Rima Fakih believe that the beauty queen will be sentenced to probation, at which time she can return to California to continue her career.