Two charter school staff members charged with DUI after drinks at Clermont restaurant

The principal and vice principal of Pinecrest Lakes Academy were arrested for DUI after having drinks at a restaurant in Clermont.

An officer observed a white Jeep SUV heading east near Minnehaha and Bloxam Avenues around 2:05 a.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Clermont Police Department. Its occupants, 45-year-old Christina Irene Alcalde and 41-year-old Jennifer Jimenez, were swerving from their lane into the westbound lanes.

This happened four times until the vehicle drove over a curb near Morning Drive and Minnehaha Avenue. The vehicle continued, and as it curved southbound, it drove completely out of its lane and into northbound traffic. The officer subsequently initiated a traffic stop near the Colonial Tile & Design Center, 1730 S. Hwy. 27, the report said.

After asking Jimenez, the driver, for her license, the officer noticed the smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle. Jimenez was also blinking very slowly and had delayed reactions. Alcalde insisted on helping her find her driver’s license by saying it was in Alcalde’s purse. She added that the two women were principals in the area, the report said.

The officer again asked Jimenez for her license, and she tried to show him a copy on her phone that was in Alcalde’s possession. Jimenez dropped the phone before slowly finding the photo of her license. She seemed to have difficulty finding it, the report said.

The smell of alcohol persisted, this time coming from Jimenez’s mouth when she spoke, and she swayed in the driver’s seat. She advised that she had been drinking, and she was coming from a party with her children, the report said.

Alcalde was speaking out loud in an attempt to talk to the officer, so he asked Jimenez to exit the vehicle for an uninterrupted conversation. She agreed but walked slowly, unsteadily and choppily. The officer shone a light exactly where he wanted her to stand, although she staggered and swayed while trying to do so, the report said.

The officer explained his observations and asked her to participate in field sobriety exercises, but she cut him off twice. She understood what was being asked and refused to do the exercises. She was ultimately handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol vehicle, the report said.

Meanwhile, Alcalde appeared to be extremely intoxicated and emotional. She stated the two were at La Jibarita De Puerto Rico, 470 W Hwy. 50, where they had only two drinks. She commented that they “poured heavy” at the restaurant, the report said.

The officer remained on scene and made sure she safely got into a vehicle she called for a ride. With her permission, the Jeep was moved from the road to the parking lot of the Colonial Tile & Design Center, the report said.

However, about three hours later, law enforcement learned Alcalde may have been traveling in Clermont. A check of the parking lot determined the Jeep was no longer there. An officer then found it traveling eastbound on State Road 50 near the intersection with Citrus Tower Boulevard, the report said.

The vehicle drifted to the far-left side of its lane, and its brake lights turned on and off well before the upcoming red light. The officer pulled alongside the vehicle to see Alcalde in the driver’s seat, looking the same as earlier in the night. She faced forward, staring blankly as she rubbed her face and eyes, the report said.

After being pulled over, Alcalde stated she was worried about her friend. She understood that she should not have been driving, but she was trying to post bond for Jimenez. She continued being emotional, speaking with an elevated tone and crying at various times, the report said.

She agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises and swayed slightly after exiting the Jeep. She stated she was “terrible at balancing on a normal day” as she performed the first exercises. Her performance led the officer to conclude she was under the influence, the report said.

Alcalde later refused to submit a breath test. She appeared to fall asleep multiple times on the way to jail. She woke up when her phone rang, after which she began to cry and repeat herself, the report said.

Alcalde and Jimenez were charged with DUI and refusal to submit to DUI testing. They were booked at the Lake County Jail with bonds set at $2,000 each.