Attorney for Naples mayor granted deposition to question officer for DUI arrest

The attorney defending the mayor of Naples after she was arrested for DUI has been granted his request to depose a Naples police officer who responded to a call saying she was driving drunk.

Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has been in legal trouble after police arrested her for a DUI back in August.

Heitmann was scheduled to be back in court Tuesday morning, but only her attorney, Derek Verderamo, showed up.

At the hearing, Verderamo filed for a deposition for a specific city officer, Derrick Vazquez.

Verderamo said the officers’ testimonies conflicted on whether the mayor was in the car with her keys when they arrived or if she was outside of her vehicle.

“So, I’m asking to clarify those issues in a deposition, where I have the ability to have a video in front of Officer Vasquez as he can explain where he’s at, which vantage point he’s at and then also whatever’s not captured on the video because of limitations of the sound,” Verderamo said.

Now the questions are, was she standing outside when they arrived or was she inside the vehicle? Also, where were her keys?

The state responded to this by saying this isn’t a complex case. It’s a misdemeaner DUI case, but the attorney pushed back.

Judge Deborah Cunningham granted the deposition on these limited issues and also granted a continuance. Heitmann is due back in court next month.

• READ MORE: Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann arrested for DUI, BAC twice over legal limit

She also had a pretrial hearing in late October for which Heitmann did not show up for, but she did have the chance to speak at a council meeting back in September.

“The toll that this has taken on my family cannot be easily be put into words. I am profoundly sorry for the impact that it has had on my friends, family, my constituents, city staff and the public,” she said.

According to the police report, Heitmann took a breathalyzer, which resulted in a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit.

The mayor’s office declined to comment on Tuesday.

Her last statement to WINK News was, “I apologize for making a mistake. I have an attorney and no comment at this time. I am sorry. I will reach out when I can.”