One charter school principal in Lake County, Florida, was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence. Hours later, another school principal was put in handcuffs for the same reason. Both of them were driving the same car hours apart.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by the Orlando Sentinel, the incident occurred on Sunday, July 5. At around 2 a.m., officers with the Clermont Police Department saw a white Jeep swerving onto opposite lanes on Minnehaha Avenue.
The police said that the vehicle traveled over a curb and, while driving southbound, drove onto the northbound lane. A traffic stop was conducted shortly after.
Officers approached the vehicle and found two women inside. The driver and the passenger were identified as 41-year-old Jennifer Jimenez and 45-year-old Cristina Alcalde, respectively.
Two Principals, One Vehicle
Bodycam footage was released by the CPD and shared by multiple outlets, including WESH. Reportedly, Alcalde identified herself and Jimenez as charter school principals.
And Alcalde was telling the truth. Since April, Jimenez has acted as the principal at Pinecrest Academy Tavares. Alcalde is a bit more seasoned in her role as principal, since she has worked in that role at Pinecrest Lakes Academy since 2017.
It was Alcalde who took over the conversation with the officer, something the cop pointed out. He said, “It’s not every day that I have a passenger do more talking than the driver.”
First Arrest
Jimenez was ordered to step out of the vehicle. The police describe her as “very unsteady and choppy,” and, after declining a field sobriety test, she was arrested.
Alcalde, who admitted to drinking alongside Jimenez at a local restaurant, as per the affidavit, took a cab back home. The Jeep, meanwhile, was parked in a lot. It wouldn’t remain there for long, though.
Hours later, at around 5 a.m., the arresting officer was informed that Alcalde was driving the Jeep, police said. He confirmed this information by driving by the lot. The Jeep was, in fact, gone.
Second Arrest
Just a mile away from the lot, a traffic stop on the same Jeep was conducted. The officer and Alcalde met once again, now with her behind the wheel.
The 45-year-old principal, in tears, admitted what she was doing was wrong, the document detailed. She tried to explain her behavior by saying she was trying to get $2,000 from an ATM to post Jimenez’s bond.
A back-and-forth followed, and Jimenez failed her field sobriety tests. She is even accused of refusing to take a breathalyzer test. And just like Jimenez before her, Alcalde was arrested.
Jimenez and Alcalde are charged with driving under the influence and refusing to submit to sobriety tests. They have since pleaded not guilty, bonded out, and are scheduled to return to court on August 3.
Meanwhile, Pinecrest Academy Inc. shared a statement with WKMH, saying that its Governing Board is “aware of the situation.” Unspecified “administrative actions” were taken as a result to address the matter at hand.