Rome, Aug 24 (IANS): A US Air Force servicewoman is facing criminal charges in Italy after authorities there said that she struck and killed a teenage boy with her vehicle while she was intoxicated.

An arrest warrant for vehicular homicide for Julia Bravo was upheld on Tuesday, though the 20-year-old will have to wait to find out where she will be tried, reports Xinhua news agency.

A formal decision on the matter is expected in the coming days.

Bravo, who is stationed at the Aviano Air Force base near the northern Italian city of Pordenone, is accused of having blood-alcohol limits four times above the legal limit on Sunday when she ran over 15-year-old Giovanni Zanier and killed him on the spot.

She is being held under house arrest on the military base.

The boy's mother said that Bravo should be held accountable by the Italian justice system and not simply turned over to the US for trial, according to a local media report.

An official at the military base declined to elaborate on Bravo's case when contacted, providing a statement saying that the Air Force was "cooperating with local authorities".