PENNINGTON COUNTY (trfnews.i234.me) – A Bemidji woman was arrested on June 20, 2025, in Thief River Falls after reportedly speeding to a liquor store while intoxicated.
According to a criminal complaint, Tricia Carrie-Lavanway Bauer, 50, was pulled over on 3rd Street by Officer O’Connor after she was seen driving at a high rate of speed. Bauer told police she was heading to the liquor store before it closed.
Officer O’Connor noted glossy eyes and the odor of alcohol. Though Bauer denied drinking, she failed the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test and refused a preliminary breath test (PBT). She was then arrested and transported to the local law enforcement center.
At booking, Bauer displayed poor balance and confusion, but ultimately consented to a breath test. The result: .13 BAC. Due to a prior DWI conviction within the past ten years, this offense was elevated to a gross misdemeanor.
Bauer is charged with Third-Degree DWI with one aggravating factor and faces up to one year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.