Only days after pleading “not guilty” to driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood-alcohol level of .08%or more, Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston recanted his statement and pled guilty in the Superior Court of California to the charges against him and was sentenced to three years probation, a fine and other minor penalties.
Houston is yet to be sentenced for an enhanced charge of driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.20% or more, which addiction experts classify as being “blackout drunk.”
If convicted of that charge, Houston could face harsher penalties under California Vehicle Code Section 23538(b)(2), according to the Kraut Law Group. Sentencing for that charge was “stayed,” which happens when a defendant in a criminal case asks the court to pause the execution of the sentence until an appeal is heard.
In addition to probation and fines, the Superior Court of California in Orange County also required that Houston complete a first-offender alcohol program by May 11; victim impact counseling by July 10; and participate in self-help meetings for a period of one year until April 11, 2024.
According to the Kraut Group’s website, a judge might also require defendants to attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as condition of release or that the defendant wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet while the criminal case is pending.
His legal and moral issues over his exploits while he served as Hillsong’s lead pastor, however, still linger.
In 2022, the board directors of Hillsong Church addressed two complaints about Houston, including an accusation that the married pastor spent time in a hotel room with a woman in 2018. 
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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media archives.
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