Tampa Teacher Arrested for DUI

A Hillsborough County elementary school teacher was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a traffic stop in Tampa early Sunday. (teamhcso.com) The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said deputies stopped 35-year-old Jacob Cohen at 1:33 a.m. on April 19, 2026, and identified him as a teacher at Davis Elementary School. (teamhcso.com) Deputies said Cohen agreed to field sobriety exercises, showed multiple indicators of impairment, and then refused to provide a breath sample. He was booked on charges of driving under the influence and refusal to submit to testing. (teamhcso.com) (wfla.com) Cohen is listed on Davis Elementary’s staff directory as a fifth-grade teacher. Davis Elementary is a public prekindergarten-to-fifth-grade school in Tampa operated by Hillsborough County Public Schools. (hillsboroughschools.org 1) (hillsboroughschools.org 2) In Florida, prosecutors do not need a breath result to pursue a DUI case. State law allows impairment to be proved by evidence that a driver’s “normal faculties” were impaired, and a refusal can be admitted in court. (flhsmv.gov) (flsenate.gov) Florida’s implied-consent law also carries a separate license penalty for refusing a lawful breath, blood, or urine test: one year for a first refusal and 18 months for a later refusal. (flhsmv.gov) (flhouse.gov) Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the agency’s release that impaired driving “puts lives at risk” and said deputies will “continue to hold individuals accountable.” As of Tuesday, April 21, Hillsborough County Public Schools had not surfaced a public statement about Cohen’s employment status on its main district site or Davis Elementary’s news page. (teamhcso.com) (hillsboroughschools.org 1) (hillsboroughschools.org 2) The arrest leaves the criminal case to move through court and any school-district personnel review to unfold separately. For now, the public record shows a teacher, a 1:33 a.m. stop, and two charges filed after deputies said he appeared impaired. (teamhcso.com)