A co-founder of Melt, a restaurant franchise with locations in Birmingham and Huntsville, tried — unsuccessfully — to buy her way out of a DUI arrest this past weekend, authorities said.

Ann Paget Pizitz is charged with bribery of public servants and driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Huntsville police. She was being held in the Madison County jail without bail set, records show.

Pizitz co-founded Melt, which began as a food truck in Birmingham in 2011 and later expanded to include a restaurant in Avondale. While she co-owns the Birmingham location, a different local team owns the Huntsville restaurant.

Before she was booked into the jail late Saturday, Pizitz offered to pay an officer $1,000 if he would let her walk free, said Lt. Michael Johnson, a Huntsville police spokesman.

Police said they encountered Pizitz after a concerned citizen called 911 around 10:30 p.m. to report a reckless driver in a black Mercedes in the area of Clinton Avenue and Woodson Street. An officer caught up to Pizitz when she was pulled into the parking lot of the AC Hotel on Williams Avenue, Johnson said.

Pizitz was texting and smelled like alcohol when the officer walked up to her window, Johnson said. Pizitz was unable to complete field sobriety tests and refused a breathalyzer test, according to a police report.

“The officer determined she was too intoxicated to drive and arrested her,” Johnson said.

Once they arrived at the jail, Pizitz told the officer she would pay him if he would let her leave, according to the report. Johnson said Pizitz became “antagonistic” and told the officer she knew important people who could affect his employment.

Johnson said the officer’s body camera captured the incident.

If convicted of bribery — a felony — Pizitz faces up to 10 years in prison. DUI is a misdemeanor that’s punishable by up to one year in jail.

Correction: Updated at 4:45 p.m. to identify Pizitz as a founder of the Melt franchise, not an owner of the Huntsville store.