The mayor of Naples has her weekends booked after a judge ordered her to serve 10 days in jail for violating her probation after she was charged with drunken driving.
Mayor Teresa Heitmann, 62, was arrested on a warrant that accused her of violating her probation on April 20 after she tested positive for cannabinoids, court documents state.
In February, she had pleaded no contest to one count of DUI with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 or higher stemming from her Aug. 28, 2024, arrest. Florida’s legal limit is 0.08. She was sentenced to one year of probation, which included not consuming alcohol and subjected her to random screenings.
The mayor was scheduled to appear in court for a probation hearing on Monday afternoon, July 27 and at that hearing, Judge Rob Crown ruled that because Heitmann violated the terms of her probation, she must serve 10 days in jail.
In addition to the jail time, her probation has been extended by 3 months. Originally sentenced to 1 year of probation in February, her probation time has been extended to May 16, 2027.
However, Heitmann has qualified for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Weekend Work Program.
This program allows defendants to serve their court-ordered sentences by participating in community projects that require the use of labor and an overall weekend lock-down in the jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Weekend Work Program is intended to have a positive impact by allowing defendants to continue their regular employment and interact with their families, documents indicate.
The State Attorney’s Office, 20th Judicial Circuit said the sentence may be served as straight time of 10 days, on weekend lockdown or on the weekend jail work program equaling 10 days served. She must surrender herself to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office no later than two weeks from today to begin her sentence.
Why is the mayor on probation?
Naples Police arrested Heitmann nearly 2 years ago, on August 28, 2024, on charges of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol of more than double the legal limit.
A motorist accused her of chasing him to his house, tailgating and flashing the lights of her Porsche at the other vehicle, according to her arrest report.
The 911 caller, who Heitmann followed home, told the police that Heitmann “sounded very drunk.”
After performing various field sobriety tests and a breath test, Naples police said, officers found probable cause to arrest Heitmann.
Heitmann and her attorney fought the DUI case for over a year until, in February, she pleaded no contest to the charge.
She was sentenced to one year of probation, in addition to nearly a dozen other restrictions, as follows:
After Heitmann was arrested again in April, a Collier County judge set her bond to $10,000 and restricted her travel outside Collier County except for work purposes.
Who is Teresa Heitmann? Four things to know
Tayeba Hussein is a breaking news reporter for The News-Press & Naples Daily News. Reach her at thussein@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples mayor headed to jail after probation violation
Reporting by Tayeba Hussein, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tayeba Hussein, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
