Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has accepted a plea deal to a drunk driving charge. The “best interest” plea allows the defendant to accept a guilty verdict without admitting guilt at a trial.
Police say they saw Hargett leaving a bar following the Bonnaroo Music Festival this summer, and witnessed him driving erratically. A police report from his arrest says that his state-issued car smelled of an “intoxicant” and that he “performed poorly” on a sobriety test. Hargett gave up use of his state vehicle last month.
As part of his sentence, his lawyer says he’s already paid a $350 fine, served 48 hours of jail time and attended DUI school.
For the next year, he’ll only be able to drive his personal vehicle with a breathalyzer preventing him from starting the car while under the influence.
In a statement, Hargett says that “it is wrong to drive any vehicle under the influence of alcohol” and that it is a mistake he “will never make again.”
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