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Mayor Faces Arrest After Disputed Probation Test
Clear Facts
- Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann surrendered to authorities on Monday following a warrant for an alleged probation violation.
- The warrant stemmed from a February DUI conviction where Heitmann pleaded no contest to driving with a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit.
- The current violation involves a disputed drug screening that court documents indicate tested positive for cannabinoids.
The arrest occurred after Heitmann allegedly breached the terms of her probation established earlier this year. Her sentence required total abstinence from alcohol and mandatory participation in random drug screenings.
Heitmann claims a screening on March 26 produced results she immediately disputed. She subsequently sought independent urine and hair follicle tests which she maintains returned negative results.
“The test returned a result I disputed immediately,” she wrote.
“I did not wait to be asked. I acted.”
Heitmann stated that she attempted to turn herself in voluntarily on April 17, but was informed at the time that the system was not prepared to process her surrender. She eventually surrendered once the warrant became active on Monday.
“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.”
Legal records indicate that her original August 2024 arrest followed breathalyzer results measuring 0.155 and 0.169. Her defense attorney argues that subsequent samples taken in late March prove she did not consume illegal substances.
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