A mayor of a South Florida city was arrested on DUI charges following a 911 call that accused her of following a couple to their house and driving over their mailbox.
Teresa Heitmann faces one count of driving under the influence following an incident on Aug. 28.
According to NBC2 News, a man dialed 911 just before 10 p.m. that night and told dispatchers that a woman driving a silver car followed them home and parked on their grass.
“I think the mayor is drunk and she just, she just literally—oh, she just drove over our mailbox,” the caller is heard telling dispatchers on an audio recording of the call.
“The mayor?” the dispatcher asks.
“I don’t know who she is. She’s claiming to be the mayor,” he answers.
“Did she ever tell you her name or anything like that?” the dispatcher asks.
“What is your name, ma’am?” the caller asks Heitmann in the background.
“Mayor Teresa Heitmann,” Heitmann is heard responding.
“She was literally almost running into my Jeep and followed me home,” the 911 caller tells dispatchers. “And now she is standing outside talking to me face to face, appears intoxicated. She’s parked in front of the house and upset that I called you guys.”
In the background of the 911 audio recording, there’s a brief back-and-forth between the 911 caller and Heitmann in which the caller asks the mayor why she followed him and his wife home and parked on their grass.
When officers finally arrived at the scene, they reportedly saw Heitmann leaning on her car. In their conversation with Heitmann, the city leader shifted gears a bit when it came to claiming her mayoral title.
“No, don’t call me mayor,” Heitmann is heard telling the officers on bodycam footage. “I am Teresa Heitmann right now. I am not the mayor.”
The 61-year-old city leader also claimed to police that the couple cut her off in traffic. During their interaction with Heitmann, officers became suspicious that she was intoxicated and conducted a set of field sobriety exercises with Heitmann’s consent.
After Hetimann failed the test, police told her they had enough probable cause to arrest her for driving under the influence of alcohol.
She was taken to the Naples Jail Center, where she agreed to take a blood alcohol content breath test. The results of two samples taken from Heitmann showed her BAC levels were 0.155 and 0.169. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08.
She was released from jail on a $500 bond. Her arraignment is set for Sept. 18.
The Naples city manager released a statement following Heitmann’s arrest.
“City employees were saddened to learn about the incident involving the Mayor. We know this is a difficult time for Mayor Heitmann and will give her the space she needs,” Naples City Manager Jay Boodheshwar said. “The Naples community should rest assured our City team is committed and dedicated to serving our residents. I have 100% confidence that our City employees will not let this incident affect service delivery to our community.”
