Ex-Miss Costa Rica Charged with Drunk Driving

She may have been the country's top beauty queen a decade ago, but things could get quite ugly for Merilyn Villalta, 32, now.

She was arrested for drunk driving Saturday night when a police Breathalyzer clocked her blood alchol level at 1.30 grams of alcohol per liter of blood, more than twice the legal limit of 0.50 grams.

But worse for the Miss Costa Rica of 2002 is that 0.50 grams is just the misdemeanor amount. A reading of 0.75 grams and over makes her subject to a one to three year prison term.

Police were called around 7 p.m. to an accident at El Molino district of Cartago. Her car had collided with another vehicle and, after the breath test, she spent a night in a cell.

Although the prison term specified is severe, judges are allowed to commute a sentence into 200 to 950 hours of public service. It seems likely that she will draw such a reduced sentence if found guilty.

The higher alcohol level is considered as "conduccion temeraria," or reckless driving in this country under the recently passed, tough traffic code reform.

By Rod Hughes, Fijatevos.com