Tampa Second-Grade Teacher Stopped With Cocaine in Purse: Cops

A Tampa second-grade teacher is facing drug possession and DUI charges after officers found cocaine in her purse after she was pulled over for driving on the rim of a wheel, authorities said.

Lauren Garner, 24, was taken into custody after she was pulled over by Pinellas Park police around 1:26 a.m. Sunday, WFLA reported.

Officers pulled her over to do a welfare check after seeing her driving on the rim. The officers said she smelled like alcohol, her eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and she failed field sobriety tests.

When officers searched her car they found a plastic bag with a white, powdery substance inside her purse, as well as a 4-inch green straw with a white, powdery substance inside, authorities said. The substances field tested positive for cocaine, officials said.

Garner admitted the cocaine was hers and told officers she had been drinking earlier in the evening, officials said. Garner was booked into jail and later released on bond, records show. Attorney information wasn't available.

Garner is employed at Dunbar Elementary Magnet School, arrest affidavits showed. The school's website lists her as a second-grade teacher.

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