Tennessee State Sen. Ken Yager, who is also the chairman of the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus, was arrested on charges of DUI, hit and run, and failure to stop at a stop sign.
Yager was jailed on Tuesday after being arrested by the Georgia State Patrol of Jekyll Island. Yager’s blood alcohol concentration level was recorded at 0.14, above the legal limit of 0.08.
“An unfortunate incident happened last night,” Yager said in a statement. “On the advice of my attorney, I cannot discuss the particulars at this time. I am and will continue to cooperate fully with authorities to bring this incident to an appropriate conclusion.”
Yager, 77, posted bond on Wednesday and was released.
Georgia State Troopers were notified that a Ford Edge with Tennessee license plates was involved in a hit-and-run on Jekyll Island on Tuesday evening, according to the Georgia State Patrol’s preliminary investigation.
Troopers located the Ford Edge in a parking lot where emergency medical services were already on the scene evaluating Yager, who had tripped and fallen.
The state Troopers identified Yager as the driver of the vehicle and noted, “a distinct odor of alcohol on his breath,” preliminary details state. Yager said he had “a couple glasses of wine previously in the day.” He told law enforcement that he was involved in the earlier crash but “stated that he thought everyone was fine, that he spoke with the other driver, and decided to leave not knowing the police were in (sic) route,” according to the police report.
According to campaign finance records, Yager used his campaign account to pay for the lease of the Ford. The Ford Edge involved in the incident has a Tennessee license plate reading “KEY,” according to the incident report. Video footage of Yager’s field sobriety test during his arrest shows a portion of the plate that appears to include the state seal. The state seal is featured on Senate license plates.
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According to Tennessee Senate rules, because Yager was driving with legislative plates at the time of the arrest, he will either automatically lose the position of caucus chairman or can request a hearing by the Committee on Ethics to determine if he should be suspended from his position.
Yager’s current term in the Tennessee Senate ends in November 2028.