Sen. Ken Yager faces DUI, hit-and-run charges after Georgia arrest

Tennessee State Sen. Kenneth Yager, R-Kingston, was arrested in Georgia on Tuesday on charges of DUI, hit and run, and failure to stop at a stop sign, authorities confirmed.

Yager, who serves as the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus chairman, was booked into the Glynn County Detention Center Tuesday after being arrested by the Georgia State Patrol of Jekyll Island.

He is charged with:

• DUI Less Safe Driver
• Hit and run; duty of driver to stop at or return to scene of accident
• Failure to stop at a stop sign

“An unfortunate incident happened last night,” Yager said in a statement regarding his arrest while on vacation in Georgia. “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.”

Georgia State Troopers were notified that a Ford Edge with Tennessee license plates was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run on Jekyll Island at 5:01 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Georgia State Patrol’s preliminary investigation.

Troopers located the Ford Edge in the parking lot of Jekyll Market, a grocery store on Jekyll Island, a beach resort town and popular tourist destination. Emergency medical services were already on scene evaluating Yager, who had tripped and fallen, according to police.

Troopers identified Yager as the driver of the Ford Edge 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” and agreed to perform a Field Sobriety Test and submit to a breathalyzer. He told troopers that he was involved in a crash earlier, 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 an incident report from the Georgia State Patrol.

Yager’s blood alcohol concentration was recorded at 0.14, according to the report. Yager refused a blood test after being placed under arrest.

The investigation is ongoing.

Under Georgia state law, a person is prohibited from driving a vehicle while “under the influence of alcohol to the extent that it is less safe for the person to drive” as well as when a person’s blood alcohol concentration is 0.08 grams or more within three hours of driving a vehicle.

Yager, 77, posted $2,117.70 bond and was released on Wednesday, according to the Glynn County Detention Center.

Campaign finance records show Yager used his campaign account to pay Ford for the lease of a car. 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 shows a portion of the plate that appears to include the state seal, which is featured on Senate license plates.

Yager represents Campbell, Clay, Fentress, Macon, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Roane and Scott Counties and has served in the Tennessee Senate since 2006. He was first elected chair of the Senate Republican Caucus in 2018, according to his website.

His current term ends in November 2028.

This is a developing story.