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Florida’s Naples Mayor, Teresa Heitmann, found herself in legal trouble once again as she was taken into custody on Monday, accused of breaching her probation from a prior DUI case. Heitmann asserted that she cooperated fully with the authorities upon her surrender.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office executed the arrest based on a warrant related to the alleged probation infraction. This development traces back to February, when Heitmann entered a no-contest plea to charges of DUI, specifically with a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher, from an incident dated August 28, 2024.
Part of Heitmann’s probation terms included an absolute prohibition on alcohol consumption, along with mandatory random screenings to ensure compliance. In a Facebook statement released Thursday, she confirmed undergoing such a screening on March 26.
Heitmann’s recent detention is linked to her initial DUI arrest, highlighting ongoing legal challenges for the mayor as she navigates the repercussions of her previous actions. The incident underscores the stringent conditions placed on those serving probation, particularly in cases involving impaired driving.
Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann was arrested on a DUI charge on Aug. 28, 2024, and was arrested Monday for an alleged probation violation stemming from her August 2024 arrest. (Naples Police Department)
“The test returned a result I disputed immediately,” she wrote.
Two subsequent screens — a urine test and a hair follicle analysis — returned negative results, Heitmann said. She noted that she “did not wait to be asked. I acted.”
Upon learning that she would be arrested, Heitmann said she attempted to voluntarily surrender to authorities on April 17 based on the earlier disputed test result. However, she said she was told “the system was not yet ready to process my surrender.”
She turned herself in Monday after her warrant became active.
Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann completes a field sobriety test in Naples, Fla. (Naples Police Department)
“I did not resist,” Heitmann wrote. “I did not hide. I showed up — because that is what I have always done. I will not shrink from this moment, and I will not allow a false story to define my character or my record of service.”
Court documents cited by the Naples Daily News alleged Heitmann tested positive for cannabinoids.
Her attorney, Derek Verderamo, argued two samples collected from Heitmann tested negative on March 26 and March 30 for illegal cannabinoids.
Heitmann was apprehended in the 500 block of 16th Avenue South in Naples. (Google Maps)
Fox News has reached out to the city government and Verderamo for comment.
Heitmann was originally arrested in August 2024, after breathalyzer tests determined that she had a blood-alcohol content of 0.155 and 0.169; the legal limit in Florida is 0.08.
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