Pinellas Elementary Teacher Charged With DUI In Polk County: Sheriff

POLK COUNTY, FL — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a third-grade teacher from Pinellas County for driving under the influence Friday night, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

Leslie Spence, 52, of Tampa, a teacher at Sky View Elementary School in Pinellas Park, was taken charged with driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test and then blowing a blood-alcohol content of .213 and .214 when two breath samples were analyzed.

Florida's legal alcohol limit is 0.08 grams per 100 milliliters of blood.

At 10:44 p.m. Friday, a witness reported a silver Ford SUV heading east on State Road 60 at about 25 mph, while swerving across lanes.

A Polk sheriff's deputy caught up to the Ford in Lake Wales, just west of U.S. 27 and pulled the SUV over.

The deputy noted that Spence had slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol, and bloodshot, watery eyes.

At one point, Spence told the deputy, “My father is a lawyer and he will sue every single one of you.”

In addition to the criminal charge of DUI, Spence was also given a citation for failing to stay in a single lane.

“Children learn from adults and educators, so if you fall under both of those categories, it is imperative that you’re setting a good example," said Judd. "Since Ms. Spence failed to do that, we’re going to use this as a teaching moment — don’t drive drunk. It’s dangerous and you’ll end up in detention at the Polk County Jail.”