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Cops: Tampa second-grade teacher had cocaine in her purse

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (WFLA) – Police say they found cocaine in a Tampa second-grade teacher’s purse after they pulled her over for driving on the rim of a tire.

Pinellas Park police officers pulled over Lauren Garner, 24, at the intersection of Park Boulevard and 49th Street at 1:26 a.m. on Sunday.

Police pulled Garner over to do a welfare check after seeing her driving on the rim of a tire.

Officers say Garner smelled like alcohol and her eyes were glassy and bloodshot. Garner failed field sobriety tests.

Police searched her vehicle and say they found her purse, which contained a plastic bag with white, powdery substance inside.  They also discovered a 4-inch-long green straw that had a white, powdery substance inside of it.

The substances field tested positive for cocaine.

Officers say Garner admitted the cocaine was hers. She also told officers that she had been drinking earlier in the evening.

She was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance, driving under the influence and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Arrest affidavits say Garner, who lives in St. Petersburg, is employed at Dunbar Elementary Magnet School in Tampa. The school’s website lists Lauren Garner as a second grade teacher at the school.