Yager pleaded no contest to Georgia DUI charge
🥜 IN A NUTSHELL: Tennessee State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, pleaded no contest in Georgia to a misdemeanor DUI charge stemming from a Dec. 3, 2024, traffic accident while vacationing. As part of a plea deal, other charges, including hit and run, were dropped. Yager was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and DUI school, which he has completed. In a statement, he took “full responsibility,” apologized to constituents, and vowed it would not happen again.
NASHVILLE | State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, pleaded no contest Monday to a charge of “DUI less safe” that resulted from his arrest following a minor traffic accident in Glynn County, Ga. on Dec. 3, 2024.
“I take full responsibility for my actions on December 3rd,” Yager said in a statement. “Drinking and driving is a very serious matter. It will never happen again.”
“Throughout both my personal and professional life, I have sought to act with integrity and accountability,” Yager added. “On December 3, 2024, I failed to live up to those principles and let my family, friends and constituents down. I sincerely regret my actions and apologize.”
Yager represents the 12th Senate District in Tennessee, which includes Scott County.
In criminal matters, a “no contest” plea — formally known as nolo contendere — is a legal plea in which the defendant neither admits nor denies the charges against them. Essentially, it’s a way for defendants to accept consequences of a guilty plea without directly admitting guilt.
As a result of the plea agreement with prosecutors in Glynn County, the additional charges that Yager originally faced, including hit and run, were dropped.
Yager was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and DUI school, which his office said he has already completed.
Yager was vacationing at the coast just after Thanksgiving when the incident occurred.
Following in Yager’s full statement:
“Today, I entered into a plea of no contest to the misdemeanor charge of Driving Under the Influence Less Safe. I take full responsibility for my actions on December 3rd. Drinking and driving is a very serious matter. It will never happen again.
“Throughout both my personal and professional life, I have sought to act with integrity and accountability. On December 3, 2024, I failed to live up to those principles and let my family, friends and constituents down. I sincerely regret my actions and apologize.
“I asked God to forgive me. And He has. I am grateful His grace knows no bounds. I am also humbled by the kindness, grace and forgiveness I have received from family, constituents, colleagues and friends. I will work every day to continue to be worthy of their trust by remaining committed to serving my constituents and the state of Tennessee to the best of my abilities, as well as focus on how God can best use me to accomplish His will.”