Woman faces slew of DUI charges after traffic stop

A woman accused by police of driving under the influence on Wednesday has a criminal history of 12 DUI violations in the last seven years. 

Vickie A. Tavena, 53, was arrested and booked into Pinal County jail on the suspicion of slightest degree DUI, (above .08 blood alcohol concentration), extreme DUI (above .15 BAC), driving with a suspended/revoked license, aggravated DUI with a suspended/revoked license, and aggravated DUI. 

At about 1 a.m., Maricopa police checked the registration on a Nissan sedan at a business near the corner of North John Wayne Parkway and West Bowlin Road. The check stated that the registered owner, Tavena, had suspensions and revocations regarding her privilege to drive, and she did not have driving privileges. 

According to a probable-cause statement, officers saw a woman, believed to be the owner, get into the car and drive away, heading southbound on North John Wayne Parkway. Police stopped the vehicle near West Alterra Parkway. 

Officers contacted Tavena, who they positively identified with her Arizona identification card, Maricopa police said. Officers noted a strong odor of an intoxicating beverage from Tavena’s breath, her words were slurred, and she had bloodshot, glossy eyes.  

Tavena reportedly admitted to drinking earlier in the evening. 

During a series of field sobriety tests, police reported that Tavena performed poorly. During a preliminary breath test, she blew a .203 BAC, over two times the legal limit of .08 BAC. 

A police review of Tavena’s criminal history confirmed that she had her driving privileges suspended five times and revoked four times on multiple DUI-related charges. Her criminal history reportedly showed that she committed DUI-related violations 12 times in the last 7 years. 

Tavena has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 24.