Elementary Guidance Counselor Charged With DUI: Sheriff

Polk County, FL — A 45-year-old guidance counselor at an elementary school near Davenport faces a driving-under-the-influence charge after a bottle of tequila was found in her vehicle, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

Rachael Tederous, an employee with Loughman Oaks Elementary School, was pulled over by deputies just before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. An officer saw a black Dodge pickup truck driving recklessly near U.S. Highway 27 and Legacy Park Boulevard. According to the officer, the driver almost hit a minivan.

The deputy said the suspect's speech was slurred, and her breath had the odor of an alcoholic beverage. She told the officer that she was having problems with her blood sugar. When her blood sugar was checked by a Polk County Fire Rescue medic, her blood sugar levels were normal. As her blood level was being checked, the officer saw a mostly-empty bottle of Jose Cuervo Tequila in the door, investigators said.

Tederous claimed that she was on her way to pick up two children from a nearby park. Law enforcement officials had another person take care of the children at the park.

"Her decision to drive under the influence could have easily injured or killed someone," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "A person who works as a guidance counselor at a school, whose job is to help young children, should set a better example."

During a standardized field sobriety test, investigators said she had difficulty maintaining her balance and yelled at the deputy, "This is bulls---, and you're bulls---," and then refused to continue the test.