Story perspectives

Tennessee Dismisses 41 DUI Cases Amid Sober Arrest Controversy

2/15/2026

Summary

Story summary

Prosecutors in Tennessee dismissed 41 DUI arrests tied to Asa Pearl, a former Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper.
Twenty-two of those cases involved drivers with no drugs or alcohol in their system.
One driver, Ron LaFlamme, described his wrongful arrest.
The remaining dismissals resulted from procedural issues, while defense attorneys raised enforcement concerns.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation admitted undercounting sober-arrest DUI cases, identifying more than 2,500 from 2017 to 2024.

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Story summary

Prosecutors in Tennessee dismissed 41 DUI arrests tied to Asa Pearl, a former Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper.
Twenty-two of those cases involved drivers with no drugs or alcohol in their system.
One driver, Ron LaFlamme, described his wrongful arrest.
The remaining dismissals resulted from procedural issues, while defense attorneys raised enforcement concerns.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation admitted undercounting sober-arrest DUI cases, identifying more than 2,500 from 2017 to 2024.