A Florida substitute teacher is facing a DUI charge after police say she was found unconscious behind the wheel in a middle school pickup line.
The alarming incident happened Thursday, May 14, at Fort Myers Middle School in Fort Myers, Florida, according to an arrest report cited by Gulf Coast News.
Authorities say a bystander alerted a school resource officer after noticing a driver asleep inside a silver Subaru Impreza in the school’s pickup area.
The woman behind the wheel was later identified as 49-year-old Jennifer Lynn Lenison, a substitute teacher.
At first, officials believed she may have been having a medical emergency. But police say the situation quickly took a different turn.
When an officer approached the vehicle, investigators said Lenison appeared to be intoxicated. The officer reportedly took her car key until she became sober and someone could pick up the vehicle.
Police said it took several attempts to wake her. Once she was awake, the officer allegedly smelled alcohol, noticed her speech was slurred, and said she had trouble keeping her balance.
According to the arrest report, Lenison was then asked to perform field sobriety exercises.
Police said she struggled to stand straight with her hands at her sides and repeatedly grabbed officers to keep from falling. Officers also said she had bloodshot, watery eyes and could not keep her head still during one part of the evaluation.
When asked to do a one-legged stand, Lenison allegedly sat on the ground instead.
After the failed sobriety exercises, she was arrested.
During a search of the vehicle, officers allegedly found a partially consumed open bottle of vodka. Gulf Coast News reported that Lenison’s blood alcohol content was .37, more than four times Florida’s legal driving limit.
Lenison was charged with DUI with an unlawful blood alcohol content of .15 or higher, or with a person under 18 in the vehicle.
Police also said Lenison has two prior DUI convictions, one from August 2015 and another from October 2021.
If convicted of a third DUI, especially with her previous conviction falling within the past 10 years, Lenison could face serious penalties, including up to five years in state prison and a 10-year driver’s license revocation.
The case has shocked parents and community members, especially because the alleged incident happened in a school pickup line where children and families were nearby.