More legal woes for 'STAYUMBL' driver after she fails to keep Wake court date
A Durham woman who has gained notoriety online for erratic driving and the license plate "STAYUMBL" failed to show up in court Monday to face speeding and reckless driving charges.
As a result, Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory issued a failure to appear warrant against Diana Taije Mems, including a $20,000 bond upon her arrest.
Wake County Assistant District Attorney Matt Lively asked for the bond because of Mems' "atrocious" driving record.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman recently obtained an indictment against Mems on the two charges, saying her driving history shows that she poses a risk to other drivers.
"Traffic tickets, and traffic offenses in general, are not something that carry a lot of punishment behind them," Freeman said. "We want to make sure we are doing everything that we can to keep her off the road and to make sure that people are safe."
Mems, 50, has become infamous on social media, where dozens of posts point out the "STAYUMBL" plate and criticize her driving. Some people accuse her of trying to force other drivers to rear-end her vehicle.
Last month, a school bus driver in Durham posted a video that showed the "STAYUMBL" car pulling in front of the bus and stopping suddenly on a two-lane road to block the bus. A woman got out of the car with a cellphone to record the incident as she pointed at the back of her car.
"When I was leaving the school I had a driver come from behind my bus, flying into the oncoming traffic lane," said Jaquanna Barrett-Laws. "So, we're back in front my bus and start tapping on the brakes and she got out of the car and just stood there recording me with her cell phone like I was at fault."
Mems was cited with reckless driving, improper passing and impeding traffic in that incident and is expected to be in traffic court in Durham next Friday on those charges.
WRAL News learned that Mems changed her license plate after receiving the citations.
A Durham Police Department investigator who said he has been reviewing Mems' driving record since last summer determined she's been involved in 31 crashes since 2000.
The Wake County District Attorney's Office is working with the state Department of Insurance "to determine if there is something else going on here" regarding allegations that Mems stops in traffic and implies that other drivers hit her from behind, Freeman said.
WRAL News tried to contact Mems for comment last week, but none of the three addresses listed on her recent charges checks out – one was at a shopping mall.
A review of Mems' overall criminal record by WRAL News shows nearly 140 charges in North Carolina since the mid-1980s, many under aliases such as Diana Tai Ray, Diana Maria Zorro and Deanna Jean Ray. She's been convicted 28 times on charges ranging from passing bad checks and credit card fraud to breaking and entering and larceny, according to state Department of Public Safety records.
