‘My father is a lawyer’: Pinellas County teacher threatens to sue deputies during DUI arrest, authorities say

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Polk County deputies put a Pinellas County teacher in detention Friday night after they said she was driving at nearly three times the legal blood alcohol limit.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said at 10:44 p.m. Friday, a “good citizen” spotted a vehicle swerving on State Road 60 at about 25 mph.

According to the sheriff’s office, the driver was Leslie Spence, 52, of Tampa, a teacher at Sky View Elementary School in Pinellas Park.

Deputies said Spence had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and an odor of alcohol after being pulled over in Lake Wales.

After failing her field sobriety test, Spence was placed under arrest.

“At one point, Ms. Spence said to the deputy ‘my father is a lawyer and he will sue every single one of you,'” the sheriff’s office said.

The elementary school teacher blew two samples, which had breath alcohol levels of 0.213 G/210L and 0.214 G/210L. That is just under three times the legal limit of 0.08.

“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,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “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.”

Deputies said she was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence with a breath alcohol content of .15 or higher. She was also issued a citation for failing to stay in a single lane.