In a surprising turn of events, Mayor Teresa Heitmann of Naples, Florida, was arrested on August 28 for allegedly driving under the influence. The incident unfolded when police responded to a call from a couple reporting that an unknown woman in a silver vehicle had followed them to their residence in the 500 block of 16th Avenue South.
Upon arriving at the couple's home, the woman, later identified as Mayor Heitmann, parked her vehicle on their front yard, prompting the couple to contact the authorities. The situation escalated when the woman allegedly drove over the couple's mailbox, leading them to suspect that she was intoxicated.
Body camera footage from the responding officers captured Mayor Heitmann distancing herself from her title when interacting with the police. Despite her reluctance to be addressed as the mayor, officers conducted a field sobriety test, which she agreed to undergo. Subsequently, the test results indicated that there was probable cause to arrest Heitmann for driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance.
Following her arrest, Mayor Heitmann was taken to the Naples Jail Center, where she consented to a breathalyzer test. The results revealed a blood-alcohol content of 0.155 and 0.169, significantly higher than the legal limit of 0.08 in Florida.
In response to the incident, Naples City Manager Jay Boodheshwar expressed the city employees' disappointment and reassured the community that the city's services would remain unaffected. Boodheshwar emphasized the commitment of the city team to continue serving the residents of Naples without any compromise in service delivery.
