The leader of Tennessee’s Senate Republican caucus engaged in a series of allegedly bad decisions and even worse outcomes while on vacation on Georgia’s Golden Isles.
State Sen. Ken Yager, 77, was arrested on Dec. 3 in Jekyll Island on suspicions of a hit-and-run accident that happened earlier that same day. Police said he “admitted to being involved in a crash earlier” but told officers that he “did not know” officers had been on the way.
After fleeing the scene, Yager decided to stop for some gourmet groceries. It didn’t go well, as the lawmaker tripped and fell in the parking lot. He was being tended to by first responders when a Georgia state trooper noticed he was driving a Ford Edge with Tennessee license plates, which had been reported as the car involved in the alleged hit-and-run.
Troopers noticed two things when questioning Yager. They detected a “distinct smell of alcohol’” and a urine stain on his pants. Field sobriety tests were halted after officers worried Yager might hurt himself. Judging by his blood alcohol level (0.14 — nearly double the legal limit of 0.08), that concern was warranted.