Brickbat: Three Strikes

Police Officer Noah Werner of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, arrested Jeff Adams for DUI in 2023. Adams asked for but was not given a breathalyzer at the scene. It took four months, but lab tests eventually found Adams was not intoxicated. But in the meantime, he was suspended as an Uber driver, and while he wasn't fired from his day job as a teacher, he says he still fears the arrest hurt his reputation. WSMV, Nashville's CBS affiliate, reports that Werner arrested two other people for DUI in 2023 who turned out to be sober. "I certainly regret that, and I really deeply hurt for what they went through," said Police Chief Gary Goodwin. The station reports that police departments throughout Middle Tennessee have arrested sober people for DUIs. It also found that many drivers ask for but do not get breathalyzers because departments do not use them. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told the station that because of a backlog it can take up to eight months to get alcohol reports back.