Puyallup Mayor's Wife Charged With DUI

The Pierce County prosecutor's office has filed charges of DUI against Karen Hansen, a retired Puyallup School District employee and wife of Puyallup Mayor Rick Hansen, The Herald reported Friday.

Karen Hansen was pulled over on Dec. 11, 2012, after allegedly running a red light while turning from West Pioneer onto North Fifth Street Southwest in Puyallup.

According to court documents obtained by Patch, Hansen was the sole occupant of the vehicle and smelled of intoxicants when the Puyallup officer approached her car. She admitted to the officer that she had been drinking at home and agreed to do a field sobriety test, which she failed.

A portable breath test showed her blood-alcohol limit was 0.27, over three times the legal limit. 

Hansen was transported to Puyallup Jail, where she gave two more BAC samples that returned a .235 and .228, respectively. 

When asked if she knew her blood-alcohol level impaired her driving, she answered "yes."

The Puyallup Herald reports that Hansen was originally arraigned in Puyallup but that the case was forwarded to Pierce County.

Hansen is retired from the Puyallup School District, where she was communications spokeswoman.

Her trial is set for May 8 in Pierce County District Court.

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