Forty-one DUI arrests made by a single Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper in Bedford County have been dismissed, with 22 of those cases involving drivers who had no alcohol or drugs in their system or were within legal limits.
The dismissed cases all involved arrests made by former Trooper Asa Pearl between 2021 and 2024, according to records obtained from the Bedford County Clerk’s office.
Pearl resigned from the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 2024 with no reason given.
Ron LaFlamme was among those arrested by Pearl for DUI, despite having no substances in his system.
A spreadsheet compiled by the Bedford County District Attorney’s office for WSMV4 Investigates shows the breakdown of the 41 dismissed cases.
In eight cases, including LaFlamme’s, drivers had neither drugs nor alcohol in their system. In 14 other cases, the driver’s blood alcohol level was within legal limits and no drugs were found.
The remaining 19 dismissed DUI cases were dropped for other reasons, including Pearl being unavailable for court or unable to recall details of the arrests, according to the district attorney’s office.
David McKenzie, LaFlamme’s attorney, said word was spreading in Bedford County about Pearl’s DUI dismissal rate.
“I know that during the time that Ron’s case was making its way through the court, Ron’s case was not the only one with this particular trooper, where blood results were coming back negative,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie said the pattern suggests broader issues.
“It tells me there was a systemic problem with what he was doing on the side of the road,” McKenzie said. “This could happen to your child. This could happen to your parent. This could happen to your co-worker.”
The 22 DUI arrests of sober drivers by a single trooper are the latest discovery in our “Sobering Problem” investigation.
Pearl is the latest trooper discovered who has arrested multiple sober drivers for DUI. By far, data shows the THP has made the most sober DUI arrests in Tennessee.
The head of the THP told WSMV4 Investigates that he does not believe the drivers who had neither drugs nor alcohol in their system were sober.
Pearl did not respond to requests for comment. The Tennessee Highway Patrol also did not respond to requests for comment.
LaFlamme said he never received an apology from Pearl.
“This could happen to your child. This could happen to your parent. This could happen to your coworker,” McKenzie said.
