41 DUI arrests made by a single Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper in Bedford County were dismissed — and in more than half of those cases, the drivers were either fully awake or within the legal limit.
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 the drivers had neither drugs nor alcohol in their systems. In another 14, 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 in court or unable to recall the details of the arrests.
Pearl resigned from the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 2024. No reason was given, and the dismissed DUI cases were not listed in his personnel file.
Ron LaFlamme was one of the drivers arrested by Pearl. His blood tests showed no substance.
“I was surprised when he started asking me to take a field sobriety test,” LaFlamme told WSMV4 Investigates. “It was wrongful arrest.”
LaFlamme said he never received an apology.
His attorney, David McKenzie, said word has spread in Bedford County about Pearl’s firing rate — and that LaFlamme’s case is far from the only one where blood results have come back clean.
“It tells me there was a systemic problem with what he was doing on the side of the road,” McKenzie told WSMV4. “This could happen to your child. This could happen to your parent. This could happen to your co-worker.”
Tennessee Highway Patrol Chief Col. Matt Perry told WSMV4 Investigates that he doesn’t believe the drivers who tested negative were actually sober. Neither Pearl nor THP responded to requests for comment.
Pearl is the latest trooper exposed in WSMV4’s ongoing “Serious Problem” investigation, but the data shows this problem extends far beyond one county officer.
New data released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows that 419 sober drivers were arrested for DUI in Tennessee in 2024 — the highest single-year total since WSMV4 began tracking the numbers. The Tennessee Highway Patrol accounted for 180 of those arrests, more than any other agency in the state. The Knoxville region led with 41 sober arrests, followed by Nashville with 37 (2).
Since 2017, over 2,500 Tennesseans have been arrested for DUI only to later have blood tests show no alcohol or drugs in their system (3).
Ex-servicemen say there’s a reason the numbers are so high. Ashley Smith and Adam Potts, both former THP officers, told WSMV4 Investigates that intense internal pressure to make DUI arrests contributed to the illegal charges (4). Audio recording obtained from Chattanooga THP Capt. Patrick Turner captured him telling officers to “arrest every DUI you can get your hands on.”
“This is corruption. We are destroying people’s lives. We are being forced to destroy people’s lives,” Smith said.
The problem is not limited to Tennessee. A national WSMV4 investigation found sober drivers arrested for DUI in 22 states, including Alabama, Hawaii, Florida and Iowa.
Part of the problem may be the tests themselves. A 2023 randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry found that trained law enforcement officers classified 49.2 percent of fully awake participants as impaired based on field sobriety tests. When sober participants failed, officers suspected that 99% of them had taken drugs—none of them did (5).
In response to WSMV4’s reporting, Tennessee Senator Raumesh Akbari introduced legislation requiring the TBI to compile and publicly release sober DUI arrest data each year, broken down by agency (6).
“Tennessees deserve transparency and accountability in law enforcement,” Akbari said. “When people begin to question whether arrests are made for any reason other than public safety, trust erodes.”
Colonel Perry testified before state lawmakers in January 2026 – his first public appearance addressing the inquiry. He argued there was no quota system and said the agency had found no cases where arrests were inappropriate.
“We haven’t had one say, ‘Yeah, this was somebody who probably shouldn’t have been arrested,'” Perry told lawmakers (7).
Even when charges are eventually dropped, a DUI arrest sets off a cascade of costs that can take years to recover from.
The immediate expenses alone are staggering. Towing and impound fees typically range from $200 to $500. Bail can range from $500 to $2,500. Attorney fees for a DUI defense average about $3,150 nationwide, but complex cases can exceed well over $10,000. Court and administrative fees add another $300 to the $1,200. In total, the first year costs of a DUI arrest can range from $10,000 to $25,000 (8) (9).
Stephen Smart knows these numbers firsthand. The Knoxville resident was arrested by a state trooper for DUI in 2025. Blood tests came back negative for alcohol and drugs. By the time his case was settled, he had spent $10,500 on legal fees.
“I pretty much wiped out all my savings,” Smart told WSMV4 Investigates. “And then I just had to start over.”
Then there is insurance. A DUI arrest can increase your car insurance premiums by 80% to 400%, and these rate increases typically last three to 10 years. Many drivers end up paying more than $10,000 in additional premiums in the first three years alone. Some insurers are canceling policies outright, forcing drivers to take out high-risk SR-22 coverage at even higher rates.
And the damage doesn’t stop when the charges go away. Arrest records don’t always disappear with dismissal. A DUI charge can show up on background checks for seven to 10 years, limiting employment and housing opportunities regardless of the outcome.
The psychological toll can be just as severe. Roger Lewis, a sober driver arrested for DUI by Mt. Juliet, said the experience left him unable to leave his home for nearly six months. Lewis, who suffers from neuropathy and has had six knee surgeries, was required to perform a field sobriety test that required walking and standing on one leg. Later, his blood tests showed that no alcohol had been consumed – only prescription pain medication (10).
“I had to go to a special doctor. I haven’t been able to sleep yet. I’m still not back to normal,” Lewis said.
Carl Binkley, a recovering heroin addict who had been clean for six years, was arrested for DUI by a Coffee County THP trooper. Body camera footage shows Binkley telling the officer about his sobriety before being handcuffed. It took six months for blood tests to confirm what he already knew – he was fully sober (11).
“I literally pulled over on the side of the interstate and cried,” Binkley said.
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The illegal arrests are now fueling a wave of federal lawsuits. Five sober drivers have filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee police agencies that arrested them, alleging false arrest and illegal seizure. One case has already been settled – Thomas Manis, who was arrested by THP troopers in Monroe County in 2023, received a $75,000 settlement from the Tennessee Debt Collection Council.
Lewis, who has seen more than 600 other cases in WSMV4’s reporting, said the lawsuits are about forcing change from the top down.
“Somebody, from the governor up, has to do something in Tennessee,” Lewis said.
It’s McKenzie’s warning that lingers: “This could happen to your child. This could happen to your parent. This could happen to your co-worker.”
Drivers should be aware that field sobriety tests — the walk and turn, one-leg stand, and similar roadside exercises — are voluntary in every US state. According to legal resource Justia’s DUI & DWI Law Center, “field sobriety tests are voluntary, and completion of the tests is not required by law” (12). There is no legal penalty for refusing them, although officers are not required to tell you that, and in some states, your refusal may be noted in a police report or cited in court.
Chemical tests are a different matter. Breathalyzers and blood draws are governed by implied consent laws, which means that once you are legally arrested for DUI, refusing a chemical test can trigger automatic penalties, including license suspension – regardless of whether you were actually impaired.
If you are pulled over and asked to perform a field sobriety test, you have the right to politely decline. If you are arrested, document everything and contact an attorney immediately.
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WSMV4 / Gray News (1); WSMV4 (2); WSMV4 (3); WSMV4 (4); JAMA Psychiatry (5); WVLT (6); WSMV4 (7); Cobb Defense (8); SafeHome.org (9); WSMV4 (10); WSMV4 (11); Justice (12)
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