TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A former Pinellas County teacher was arrested by Clearwater police Friday afternoon after they said she was driving under the influence.
An affidavit said Lauren Rose Brunetto, 32, was stopped at around 1:57 p.m. Friday after she was seen following a stopped lawn maintenance trailer too closely instead of going around it.
Police said after she was stopped, the responding officer noticed that her breath smelled like alcohol and that she had the “odor of feces on her person.”
The affidavit said Brunetto had trouble standing while outside her vehicle, along with other signs of impairment.
Brunetto initially denied having any alcohol, but she later admitted to drinking vodka out of a cup while in her school’s parking lot after police found six bottles of vodka in her car, according to police.
She was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on a charge of driving under the influence.
Note: The affidavit said Brunetto was employed as a teacher, but a spokesperson for Pinellas County Schools said she resigned from her job in May 2021. This story has been updated.
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