Bodycam video shows arrest of Cape Coral Council member Rachel Kaduk after failed sobriety test
By: -----
Cape Coral, FL - Cape Coral City Councilmember Rachel Kaduk was arrested after a witness reported her driving recklessly for about 20 minutes on her way home from Oak and Stone on Tuesday night, nearly hitting several cars.
Body camera footage shows an officer asking Kaduk to participate in field sobriety tests, to which she initially shook her head in refusal.
"I'm just shaking my head no because it is ridiculous," Kaduk said.
However, she later agreed to the tests, starting with a standard eye exam where she was asked to follow a pen with her eyes. The officer emphasized the importance of this evaluation.
"I'm trying to give you an opportunity, so follow the tip of my pen with your eyes or your eyes or to understand," the officer said.
Kaduk responded affirmatively but appeared confused by the instructions.
"Follow the path. Do you understand? Are you unable to?" the officer asked.
"I don't know what you're asking," Kaduk replied.
Kaduk then did the nine-step walk-and-turn test but stopped participating during the final evaluation.
"I'm almost there. I'm very close to home," she said.
During the stop, Kaduk mentioned her position as a city council member.
"Well, I'm from Cape Coral. I grew up in this exact same district that I'm representing, right?" she said.
When officers inquired about her intentions, Kaduk stated she was leaving.
"I am actually leaving because you have found nothing here," she said.
Officers then placed her in handcuffs.
She asked to make a phone call, saying she needed to reach her 15-year-old daughter.
"Call her," the officer said. "Let her know that you’re going to be in jail for the night, OK?"
"I shouldn’t be in jail for the night because I shouldn’t be doing this," Kaduk said.
When asked to take a breathalyzer, Kaduk requested to speak with her husband and later stopped answering questions altogether. Court records indicate that Kaduk has waived arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty.
This is not Kaduk's first encounter with the law; in 2013, she pleaded no contest to reckless driving.