Second-Grade Teacher Charged with DUI, Cocaine Possession After Traffic Stop

Pinellas Park Police say a woman they observed driving on a tire rim turned out to be a second-grade teacher who was in possession of cocaine.

Officers say they spotted the vehicle at the intersection of Park Boulevard and 49th Street early last Sunday morning and initiated a welfare check due to the vehicle operating on only three tires. Upon approaching the vehicle they say they noticed the driver, whom they later identified as Lauren Laraine Garner, gave off an odor of alcoholic drink and had glassy, bloodshot eyes.

Police continued by administering field-sobriety tests, which they say the 24-year-old Garner failed, leading to her arrest. When conducting the search of her vehicle incident to her arrest the officers say they found a bag with a white, powdery substance in her purse, and a straw with that same substance within it. According to the officers, field tests identified the substance as cocaine.

Upon being presented with the items, officers say Garner admitted it was hers, going on to say that she had consumed alcoholic drink earlier in the evening.

Garner, who lives in St. Petersburg, is listed as a second-grade teacher at Dunbar Elementary Magnet School in Tampa. She was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on charges of driving under the influence, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released the same evening after posting a $2,650 bond.

The Law Offices of Bjorn Brunvand have been representing people charged with capital murder, felony drug charges, drunk driving, government fraud, and white-collar crimes for over a quarter century. Contact our office today to discuss your Tampa Bay-area state or federal charges.