The Tennessee secretary of state was arrested on charges of driving under the influence late Friday night after leaving the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
Tre Hargett, a Republican who has served as the secretary of state since 2009, was booked into Coffee County Jail around 1:30 a.m. and released six hours later on $2,000 bail, the Associated Press reported.
“On Friday night after leaving the Bonnaroo Music Festival, I was stopped by the Tullahoma Police Department and subsequently arrested for DUI,” Hargett said in a statement. “Driving Under the Influence is a serious matter, and I regret the circumstances that led to my arrest. I respect law enforcement and will trust the legal process as we move forward.”
The guy who criminalizes voter registration and suppresses turnout across the state was arrested driving drunk away from Bonnaroo 🤦🏾♀️
We can do so much better than this. https://t.co/xH2JjnfNEb
— Tennessee Democratic Party (@tndp) June 18, 2022
Hargett is due back in court on July 14. It’s unclear who Hargett was at the long-running festival to see: Friday night’s performers included J.Cole, the War on Drugs, the Chicks, Lord Huron, and late-nights sets by Disclosure and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) said of Hargett’s arrest in a statement to WKRN, “MADD is appalled every time someone makes the wrong and extremely dangerous choice to drive impaired. It is a crime. When an elected official decides to drive impaired, their actions not only threaten the lives of innocent people but also undermine the very laws and protections they are sworn to uphold. They must be held accountable – no exceptions and no excuses. Mr. Hargett is uniquely positioned to help educate and protect Tennessee residents and visitors from the tragedies caused by someone’s choice to drive impaired, and we welcome his help in advancing MADD’s mission to eliminate this 100% preventable crime. MADD will monitor this case.”