By Brandi Makuski

A Mosinee woman is facing a mandatory minimum of three years behind bars after being arrested for her seventh OWI.

Trina Pagel, 52, was arrested on March 11 after she tried switching places with her passenger when she stopped in the middle of Shady Rd. in Dewey.

According to the criminal complaint, a Dewey couple enjoying morning coffee on the porch of their Birch Dr. home saw Pagel driving in a yellow Ford van into their driveway. The couple recognized Pagel as they had purchased the property from her some time before.

Pagel, who appeared intoxicated and was wearing a nightgown when she arrived, insisted on being let in the house to see the changes the couple had made to the home. Afterward, she was seen driving behind the buildings on the property, then left. The couple told police they were concerned she would harm herself and called police.

Pagel returned to the property a few minutes later, this time with a male passenger in the van. She traveled up the driveway, completed a U-turn to leave the property, then drove away — backwards — on Birch Drive.

A Portage Co. deputy located Pagel’s vehicle as she turned on to Shady Road. About 50 feet after turning, Pagel stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road. The deputy watched from behind as Pagel’s passenger exited the van, and Pagel moved into the passenger seat, though she repeatedly denied being the driver when questioned.

Pagel admitted to having “one Bloody Mary at a friend’s house” before driving that morning at 7 AM. Her breathalyzer indicated she had a .195 percent alcohol content.

According to court documents Pagel had been previously convicted of OWI on six different occasions between 1996 and 2010. If convicted she will lose her license for a minimum of two years, and she faces more than 20 years behind bars.

Pagel is scheduled for an initial appearance on July 5.