Bulgarian Super Model Charged in Land O' Lakes DUI

A 29-year-old Bulgarian woman who now calls the Bay area home found herself inside the Pasco County Jail Wednesday morning after deputies say they pulled her over for driving erratically.

According to the sheriff’s office, Cpl. M. Formby conducted a traffic stop on a black BMW around 3:43 a.m. after witnessing the driver swerve and fail to maintain her lane. The Pasco deputy was given the heads up about the car after a motorist in Hillsborough County saw the vehicle driving the wrong way on U.S. 41.

When Formby pulled her over on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, near Sundance Lake Boulevard, he noticed signs of impairment. DUI investigator, Deputy Dean Welshans, was called out to the scene.

Welshans noticed “a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, which grew stronger as she spoke,” a probable cause affidavit stated. The woman, the affidavit said, told the deputy she was driving home to St. Petersburg and thought she was in Tampa.

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“She advised she believed she was in Tampa and said her driving was a result of her texting while driving,” the report stated.

Ralitsa Ivanova was ultimately charged with DUI and booked into the Land O’ Lakes Jail. She was later released on her own recognizance.

Ivanova is a model who has appeared in a number of photo spreads. She’s appeared in Maxim, Oxygen and People magazines, among others. She also owns and operates her own swimsuit line, Azzelia.

Booking photo courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office

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