Pair of principals arrested for separate DUIs hours apart — in the same car
· Toronto Sun
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Two school principals were arrested in Florida for alleged drunk driving mere hours apart in separate incidents — after they were each pulled over in the same vehicle.
Got all that?
Jennifer Jimenez, 41, was arrested first, at around 2 a.m. on July 5, after deputies pulled over a white Jeep that had drifted into an oncoming lane and struck a curb, the Clermont Police Department said.
Always a bad idea
Cops said Jimenez admitted to drinking earlier in the day but according to a police affidavit obtained by the Orlando Sentinel , she was “very unsteady and choppy” and “staggered and swayed as she attempted to stand still.”
Body-cam footage shows authorities pulling over the two women.
“Ms. Jennifer, you consumed any alcohol today ‘cause I can smell it,” the officer is heard saying.
“Yes, I have,” Jimenez replies.
The officer reported smelling alcohol and noted in the affidavit that Jimenez “would blink really slow and had very slow and delayed reactions.”
She refused a sobriety test and was arrested.
Jimenez’s passenger, Christina Alcalde, 45, was also too intoxicated to drive so she was sent home in a rideshare and left the Jeep in a nearby parking lot.
About two-and-a-half hours later, around 5 a.m., deputies pulled over the same Jeep and found Alcalde behind the wheel.
The vehicle had drifted in its lane and braked repeatedly before an intersection, according to the arrest report.
‘Way better’ hours later
Body-cam video of her traffic stop shows Alcalde telling the officer she was “way better” and was worried about her friend.
“I’m not meaning to do anything wrong. I’m way better,” Alcalde tells the deputy in the footage.
“Well, look. I just talked to you,” the officer is heard challenging her. “You were really drunk when I talked to you.”
She said she just wanted to bail out her friend and repeatedly denied being drunk, insisting, “I’m really not. I promise you I’m not,” the outlet reported.
Alcalde was handcuffed after the officer told a sergeant on video that she was “on the edge” while performing the field sobriety tests, which included walking a line and following his finger with her eyes.
“I think there’s enough, clues-wise,” the cop said.
Alcalde later refused to take a breath test, according to the affidavit.
What happens next?
Jimenez has been principal of Pinecrest Academy Tavares since April, while Alcalde has headed the neighbouring Pinecrest Lakes Academy since 2017. Jimenez previously worked as a vice-principal at Alcalde’s school, according to the Sentinel.
Both women pleaded not guilty to DUI charges and refusing DUI testing.
They were each released on $2,000 bond, according to court records.
Their next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 3.