Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett Booked on DUI After Attending Bonnaroo Music Festival

Shafiq Najib
·2 min read
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Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett comments on coronavirus guidelines as they apply to election polling sites, Friday, July 24, 2020, in Maryville Tenn. Hargett visited the Blount County Public Library to check on polling site procedures. (Scott Keller/The Daily Times via AP)
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett comments on coronavirus guidelines as they apply to election polling sites, Friday, July 24, 2020, in Maryville Tenn. Hargett visited the Blount County Public Library to check on polling site procedures. (Scott Keller/The Daily Times via AP)
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Scott Keller/The Daily Times via AP

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has been charged with driving under the influence after attending the Bonnaroo Music Festival.

Hargett, 53, was booked into the Coffee County Jail by the Tullahoma Police Department on Friday evening, and was later released on Saturday morning after posting a $2,000 bail, local news station WKRN-TV reports.

Hargett expressed his remorse for his actions in a statement issued by his office following his release.

"On Friday night after leaving the Bonnaroo Music Festival, I was stopped by the Tullahoma Police Department and subsequently arrested for DUI," Hargett said, per The Tennessean. "Driving Under the Influence is a serious matter, and I regret the circumstances that led to my arrest."

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mark Humphrey/AP/Shutterstock (10561649a) Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, left, attends a House session, in Nashville, Tenn. Hargett, who had previously argued the original 2019 voter registration law would bolster election security, is submitting a separate bill in 2020 that will criminalize "intentional dissemination of misinformation" surrounding the qualifications to vote, voter registration requirements, voter eligibility and polling dates, times and locations Voter Registration Tennessee, Nashville, USA - 15 Apr 2019

Mark Humphrey/AP/Shutterstock

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"I respect law enforcement and will trust the legal process as we move forward," the statement added.

The Tullahoma Police Department Chief Jason Williams issued a statement to PEOPLE confirming the arrest on Tuesday.

The statement explained that officers stopped Hargett's vehicle on June 18th after it failed to "safely maintain its lanes of travel on public streets here in Tullahoma."

"While speaking with Mr. Hargett, they made several observations about his physical condition," the statement continued. "Upon investigating further and administering Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Mr. Hargett was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence."

Williams noted that Hargett was "very cooperative and respectful with TPD officers and agreed to a blood sample at the officers' request" before he was booked into Coffee County Jail "without incident."

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A representative for Hargett did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The Secretary of State is expected to appear in court on July 14, according to WKRN-TV.

Hargett was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly to serve as Tennessee's 37th secretary of state in 2009 and re-elected in 2013, 2017 and 2021.

The Bonnaroo Music Festival is an annual four-day event that takes place in Manchester, Tennessee.

It was previously canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021 after the campground was flooded by excessive rain from Hurricane Ida.