A Florida mayor was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a reported incident in which she allegedly followed a couple home Wednesday, NBC 2 reported.
Mayor Teresa Heitmann of Naples, Florida, was identified as the woman who allegedly followed a resident and his wife to their home, stopping her vehicle on the grass outside their residence, according to NBC 2. The Naples Police Department responded to the call around 9:51 p.m. at 16th Avenue S and 3rd Street S.
The caller informed the police that the woman, who identified herself as the mayor, appeared to be intoxicated. When officers arrived, they found Heitmann leaning against her vehicle, the outlet stated. After a brief investigation, officers suspected that she had been driving under the influence and administered a field sobriety test, which Heitmann reportedly agreed to take.
Bodycam footage shows Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann telling officers, “Don’t call me the mayor,” as she struggled to perform a field sobriety test. The footage captures Heitmann’s inability to maintain her balance, leading to her immediate arrest on charges of driving under the influence, police said.
‘She just drove over our mailbox’: Bodycam footage shows ‘drunk’ Fla. mayor failing field sobriety test https://t.co/6N6zEbIvwv pic.twitter.com/BSUQBVH7Dh
— New York Post (@nypost) September 2, 2024
Heitmann was subsequently taken to the Naples Jail Center, where she consented to a breath test. The test reportedly revealed blood alcohol levels of 0.155 and 0.169, both of which are more than double the legal limit of 0.08 in Florida, as reported by NBC 2. (RELATED: Walz’s Former Congressional Campaign Falsely Denied He Drove Drunk At The Time Of 1990’s DUI Arrest)
Heitmann, who was the sole occupant of her vehicle at the time of the incident, was charged with DUI with a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher, according to Collier County arrest logs. She was released on a $500 bond on Thursday morning. Heitmann’s attorney declined to comment on the arrest, NBC 2 stated.
