Palm Beach County School District teacher arrested on cocaine possession charges in Fort Pierce

FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- Fort Pierce police arrested a Palm Beach County School District teacher Tuesday on charges of cocaine and narcotic paraphernalia possession.

Celestine Jones Baker, 52, was arrested Tuesday after officers responded to an anonymous caller's report of a person driving erratically on Okeechobee Road in Fort Pierce.

Officer confronted Baker after she pulled her car into the Race Track station on 5870 Okeechobee Road.

According to an incident report, Baker began complaining that she locked herself out of her vehicle and was digging in her pants pockets for keys. That's when officers said they noticed a colored piece of paper and a small, clear plastic bag fall out of her right pocket.

Officers said they were unable to retrieve the colored piece of paper because the wind was blowing hard, causing it to fly away. But officers said they were able to retrieve the plastic bag, which had a white residue in it.

Officers said there was another small clear plastic bag with white residue sitting directly on top of her keys, which were locked inside of her car.

When officers spoke to Baker, they said she had white residue in and around both of her nostrils, according to the arrest report.

This and the plastic bags led officers to believe Baker had been snorting cocaine, causing her erratic driving behavior, according to the report.

Officers tested one of the plastic bags with a Q-tip and cobalt, a chemical used to test for narcotics. The bag tested positive for cocaine, according to the arrest report.

Baker was then transported to the St. Lucie County Jail.