SAN ANTONIO — A Bexar County Sheriff's Office sergeant was arrested early Thursday on a charge of driving while intoxicated.

Stephanie Mercedes Vega, 27, sped past a San Antonio police officer on patrol at 3 a.m., according to police. She and the officer were both headed west on Loop 410 near Interstate 10 on the Northwest Side, police said.

Vega was off-duty and she was not in uniform or a marked car, said Rosanne Hughes, BCSO spokeswoman.

The police officer followed Vega and noticed “other cues consistent with driving while intoxicated,” according to preliminary information released by police. The officer pulled Vega over in a nearby parking lot.

After conducting standard field sobriety tests, the officer arrested Vega and charged her with DWI, police said. It was her first offense, according to police.

Bail was set at $1,000.

Vega has worked for the sheriff's office for almost eight years, Hughes said. She is a supervisor in the detention division of the sheriff's office.

“The Bexar County Sheriff's Office takes this matter very seriously and is conducting an internal investigation regarding the circumstances of this incident,” Hughes wrote in a statement. “Once the investigation is complete, the agency will determine the appropriate course of action.”

Hughes referred further questions about Vega's record as an employee to Deputy Chief Raul S. Banasco, the jail administrator.

The incident Thursday, however, contrasts with how Vega is portrayed in an Aug. 4 profile on the Corrections Connection Network News, which claims to be the best-recognized international website for corrections professionals.

Hughes wrote the article, headlined “Rising Star in Bexar County,” about Vega.

According to the article, Vega joined the Special Emergency Response Team at the Bexar County Jail before receiving a series of promotions. The article describes how Vega learned to control disruptive inmates, despite her small stature.

The article paraphrases Sheriff Susan Pamerleau as saying Vega “is an inspiration to her peers.”

Banasco is also quoted as saying, “Sergeant Vega is someone I can count on to get the job done.”

Vega is due to graduate from the University of Texas at San Antonio in December with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, according to the article.