Drunk Tennessee Senator Ken Yager seen failing field sobriety test after hit-and-run crash
Tennessee state Senator Ken Yager was caught miserably failing a field sobriety test after an alleged hit-and-run crash in Georgia.
Yager, 77, was arrested on Tuesday after state troopers spotted his Ford Edge following a report that it had been involved in a hit-and-run with another vehicle on Jekyll Island, the Georgia Department of Public Safety said.
Officers arrived to discover Yager, who serves as the Republican Senate Caucus Chair, in the parking lot of Jekyll Market, where emergency responders were already evaluating the senator after he tripped and fell, the department said.
In video obtained by News Channel 5, the casually dressed senator can be seen with an officer performing a field sobriety test.
Footage showed the wobbly politician struggling to walk in a straight line heel-to-toe as a trooper instructs him.
Troopers asked Yager to perform the test after they 'detected a distinct odor of alcohol on his breath,' the department noted.
The former teacher admitted to being involved in the hit-and-run, but said he was unaware that law enforcement was responding, the department said.
After taking a breathalyzer, he was arrested and charged with DUI and the hit-and-run before being taken Glynn County Jail.
Ken Yager, 77, was arrested on Tuesday after state troopers spotted his Ford Edge following a report that the vehicle had been involved in a hit-and-run with another vehicle on Jekyll Island. After taking a breathalyzer, Yager was arrested and charged with DUI and the hit-and-run before being taken Glynn County Jail
The casually dressed senator can be seen with an officer performing a field sobriety test. Footage showed the wobbly politician struggling to walk in a straight line heel-to-toe as a trooper instructs him
State troopers asked Yager to perform the test after they 'detected a distinct odor of alcohol on his breath'
Authorities will not reveal Yager's blood alcohol content until the investigation is complete.
Yager called the situation an 'unfortunate incident' in a statement to DailyMail.com.
'On the advice of my attorney, I cannot discuss the particulars at this time,' he said. 'I am and will continue to cooperate fully with authorities to bring this incident to an appropriate conclusion.'
The politician had been on vacation at the time of the incident, The Tennessean reported.
The former attorney was using campaign funds to pay for his leased Ford, according to disclosures viewed by the outlet.
He spent nearly $23,000 on the lease, car insurance, and maintenance, including car washes, since November 2022. Nearly $17,000 of it went toward the lease.
Yager could lose his position as caucus chair if he is indicted on the charges, as Senate ethics rules require him to step down, according to The Tennessean.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Yager for comment.
