Southwest Florida mayor arrested for DUI, police investigating
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The mayor of a Southwest Florida city was arrested for driving under the influence late Wednesday night.
Police told CBS affiliate WINK News in Fort Myers that they had charged Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann with DUI around 11:15 p.m.
"Yes, unfortunately, that is accurate," Naples Police Chief Ciro Dominguez said in an email on Thursday morning. "The details on the booking info/sheet explain the fact pattern. We expect the city to put out information later this morning."
Dominguez said police were called out to the scene by someone only to find the mayor at the wheel of a vehicle, WINK reported.
"We were called to a scene where she was in physical control of the vehicle and later determined that she was under the influence based on the circumstances," he continued.
After doing a standard DUI test, police arrested Heitmann and transported her to Collier County Jail, where she was held on a $500 bond. WINK reported that she has since bonded out and been released.
"We are sworn [and] obligated to follow the law," Dominguez told WINK
WINK had initially reported that a child was inside the vehicle at the time of Heitmann's arrest based on the police report; however, Naples Police clarified the initial statement, saying that the statute is written in the charge. The statute police arrested the mayor for only focusing on blood alcohol levels, WINK reported.
No further details surrounding Heitmann's arrest were made as of Thursday morning.
According to WINK, Heitmann had recently won her second and final term as mayor in March.