41 DUI arrests made by a single Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper in Bedford County have been dismissed — and in more than half of those cases, the drivers were either completely sober or within legal limits.
The arrests were all made by former Trooper Asa Pearl between 2021 and 2024, according to records obtained by WSMV4 (1) from the Bedford County Clerk’s office. A spreadsheet compiled by the Bedford County District Attorney’s office shows that in eight cases, drivers had neither drugs nor alcohol in their system. In 14 others, blood alcohol levels were within legal limits and no drugs were found. The remaining 19 cases were dropped for other reasons, including Pearl being unavailable for court or unable to recall details of the arrests.
Pearl resigned from the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 2024. No reason was given, and the dismissed DUI cases were not mentioned in his personnel file…