Republican Tennessee Lawmaker Urinates During DUI Arrest After Alleged Vacation Hit-and-Run
A Tennessee lawmaker has been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence after urinating his pants during a field sobriety test.
Tennessee state Sen. Ken Yager was arrested on Tuesday, Dec. 3, in Georgia on DUI and hit-and-run charges, according to a statement from the Georgia Department of Public Safety obtained by PEOPLE.
Georgia DPS said that the incident happened around 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Troopers had been on the lookout for a Ford Edge with Tennessee license plates, which had been reported in an alleged hit-and-run earlier in the day on Jekyll Island.
Police eventually spotted the car in a parking lot of Jekyll Market and found Yager, who was being assessed by emergency medical services after he tripped and fell, DPS noted. During a conversation with police, Yager “admitted to being involved in a crash earlier,” but told officers that he “did not know” officers had been “en route.”
Officers said they “detected a distinct odor of alcohol on his breath” and they asked the congressman to take a field sobriety test and breathalyzer test — which he agreed to.
Video captured of the field sobriety test showed an officer trying to instruct Yager to walk along a straight line. Yager — whose pants appeared to be wet along the inseam in the video — stumbled a bit during the test and took extra steps to the side to balance himself.
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In an incident report obtained by Oak Ridger, police said that they witnessed Yager urinate on himself and added that his field sobriety test was cut short when he failed to perform a one-leg stand. A breathalyzer also recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14 — much higher than the legal limit of 0.08.
Authorities said Yager was arrested and transported to the Glynn County Jail. The investigation into the hit-and-run incident is ongoing, according to DPS. No additional details into the hit-and-run incident were provided.
Yager’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
His office told the Oak Ridger in a statement that he had been on vacation during the incident.
“An unfortunate incident happened last night. On the advice of my attorney, I cannot discuss the particulars at this time,” Yager said in a statement to the outlet. “I am and will continue to cooperate fully with authorities to bring this incident to an appropriate conclusion.”
Yager, who is a Republican from Kingston, Tenn., currently serves as the chairman of the state’s Senate Republican Caucus. The congressman, who has served in the state Senate since 2006, was reelected chairman earlier this month, according to the Oak Ridger.
