Florida Woman Arrested After Kissing Another Woman At Rehab Facility

A Florida woman claims she was jailed for kissing another woman at a Christian rehab facility, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Kaylia Hevia, 29, was sentenced to 120 days in Seminole County Jail for violating her probation last month at a residential center operated by Teen Challenge, a "Christ-centered" drug rehabilitation program for adults. Hevia told the newspaper she kissed another woman in the program about three months after she was enrolled. After she confessed to the act, she was allegedly discharged for a "serious, ongoing" program violation just two months before finishing her probation, according to records.

"It’s just unfair that my sobriety should be compromised because of my sexuality," the 29-year-old told reporters from jail.

Reporters say cops found Hevia passed out in a car back in February 2021, leading to charges of unlawful possession of Xanax and driving with a suspended license. She enrolled in the rehab program a couple months later as part of her plea deal.

Natasa Ghica, a public defender representing Hevia, is appealing the sentence, claiming it sets a "bad precedent." She says it's likely her client will serve her full sentence before the appeal goes through.

"Basically, the precedent that this case set was that Ms. Hevia willfully and substantially violated her probation by being gay," Ghica told the Orlando Sentinel. "Obviously, that’s problematic."

The Seminole-Brevard State Attorney’s Office provided this statement about the case:

"Ultimately the narrative put forward that Hevia was compelled to enter a faith-based treatment program, that bias based on sexual preference led to her dismissal, and that she was compelled to serve time in jail based on that dismissal alone, are factually incorrect and we believe misleading."

Reporters also reached out to Teen Challenge Southeast Region for a comment, but they declined to provide one.