Tennessee Republican senator arrested on vacation for drunk driving and hit-and-run

Complicated start to the week, to say the least, for Republican Senator from Tennessee, Ken Yager, who is on vacation on Jekyll Island (in the state of Georgia). Aged 77, the politician was arrested earlier this week for drunk driving and for fleeing after being involved in an accident.

When local authorities arrived at the scene of the accident, they found Yager, who had tripped and fallen, being assisted by paramedics. A strong odor of alcohol emanated from him, and the Tennessee senator admitted to drinking “a few glasses of wine” in the afternoon. Although he spoke with the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash, Yager said he left the scene after assuming the situation was under control.

Authorities did not provide further details on the severity of the accident or any possible damage or injuries.

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A deposit of 1,500 dollars

Alcohol tests were conducted at the scene, but Yager struggled to maintain his balance and failed the tests, which had to be discontinued for safety reasons. The officers also observed that he had urinated on himself. A breath test revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.14, almost double the legal limit of 0.08. Yager agreed to take a breathalyzer, but refused a blood test.

Yager was arrested and charged with three offenses: hit and run, failing to run a stop sign and driving while intoxicated. Yager's bail was set at $1,500 for the hit-and-run charge.

In a statement to the press, Yager expressed his regret: “An unfortunate incident occurred last night. On the advice of my attorney, I cannot discuss details at this time. I am and will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities in order to reach an appropriate conclusion to this incident. »