FOX 17 Nashville investigative reporter Kelly Avellino says new state data has blown the lid off a problem that already looked bad. Tennessee now confirms 2,547 people have been arrested for DUI since 2017 even though their blood tests later came back negative for alcohol and drugs.
In Avellino’s report, the headline isn’t just the number. It’s the fact the total is more than four times higher than what officials previously disclosed – 609 – before a new transparency law forced a deeper look.
That kind of revision doesn’t feel like a small math correction. It feels like Tennessee found an entire hidden layer of arrests that weren’t being counted the same way the public thought they were.
And once you hear how people describe the fallout – mugshots, jobs at risk, reputations damaged – it’s hard not to think the state is dealing with more than a paperwork issue.
The Number Jumped From 609 To 2,547 – And That’s The Story
Kelly Avellino reports that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is now saying the true total of these “sober DUI” arrests since 2017 is 2,547. That’s a massive leap from the earlier figure of 609, which had been shared with FOX 17 previously.
Avellino says FOX 17 discovered officials had underreported the totals when tallying these arrests in 2025 at the request of a state lawmaker. Then, after a new law passed, TBI went back and did a more comprehensive search.
A TBI representative explains the change in an email quoted in Avellino’s reporting. The agency says it provided “the best numbers we had at the time,” because their systems didn’t track the data in the exact way requested and they had to “create something new.”
After the statute required an official report, the TBI representative says lab staff “got to work” and realized they had missed some instances in the earlier numbers. That’s how Tennessee ended up going from hundreds to thousands.
That explanation may be true on the technical side, but it still leaves a frustrating reality for regular people: if the system can’t easily track wrongful-looking arrests, it can start feeling like nobody is really watching the store.
A New Law Forced A Public Accounting
Avellino ties the new data directly to a new state law passed in 2025, which pushed for transparency after a FOX 17 Investigates series focused on the issue.
In the report, State Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D–Memphis) is credited as the sponsor of the legislation requiring the data to be released. Akbari says the reporting mattered, calling it “some really great local reporting” from FOX 17.
Akbari also says the numbers confirm this isn’t a one-off situation. “I think the list just confirmed that this is a real problem in Tennessee,” she says in Avellino’s reporting.
And that’s the key. Once lawmakers start talking like that, this stops being a collection of personal horror stories and becomes a measurable public-policy problem.
The big question is what Tennessee does with that proof. Data can shine a light, but it doesn’t automatically fix anything.
419 Arrests In 2024, And The Highest Count In Years
Kelly Avellino reports that the newly released TBI data shows 419 “sober DUI” arrests occurred in 2024. She notes it’s the highest number recorded in the last eight years, and the most recent year with full data available.
Avellino also points out why 2025 isn’t complete yet: blood tests can take time, and some 2025 arrests are still waiting on lab results. So the true total for 2025 may still be developing.
It’s worth sitting with what 419 means. That’s not one bad weekend of enforcement or one weird surge of lab errors. That’s hundreds of arrests in a single year where the testing came back “double negative,” as Avellino describes it – no alcohol, no drugs.
Even if the percentage is relatively small compared to all DUI arrests statewide, the scale is big enough that you can’t just shrug and say “mistakes happen.” Mistakes are supposed to be rare.
The Human Cost Is Bigger Than The Stat Sheet
One of the hardest parts of Avellino’s report is that it’s not abstract. The story includes people describing what it feels like to be arrested for DUI while insisting they weren’t impaired.
In the video, you hear an officer saying, “I’m placing you under arrest for driving under the influence, right?” That moment sounds routine on camera, but Avellino frames it as the start of what she calls “painful moments when lives are drastically altered.”
Avellino highlights Labreesha Batey, identified as a NASA engineer, who was arrested and convicted of DUI despite being sober. Batey says it’s still hard to relive the experience.
Batey also explains the reputation damage in a way that hits like a punch. “My reputation. They put a mug shot out there on me,” she says. “That alone is threatening my job, my career.”
This is where the “2.5%” argument doesn’t fully comfort anyone. Even if it’s a small slice, it’s a slice made of real people, and the consequences aren’t small when your name and face get blasted out as a drunk driver.
Where The Arrests Are Coming From, And What That Might Mean
Avellino doesn’t just report totals. She gets into where the arrests are clustering.
She reports that the Tennessee Highway Patrol had the highest numbers, with larger districts in Nashville, Knoxville, and Jackson, each totaling roughly 40 cases.
In Middle Tennessee, Avellino says the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office ranked in the top ten with 16 “sober DUI” arrests. She also reports La Vergne Police had 11.
Sen. Akbari looks at that spread and asks the questions most people are already thinking. In Avellino’s report, Akbari asks whether this is a training issue, a procedural issue, or something tied to certain counties or agencies.
That’s the right set of questions because the pattern matters. If it’s random, it’s chaos. If it clusters, it suggests a system problem – like how impairment is being judged in the field, when to arrest, and how much weight gets put on subjective observations.
And if a lot of this is happening in certain high-activity areas, it raises another uncomfortable thought: heavy enforcement can sometimes create “pressure to act,” where officers feel like they need to make a call even when the evidence isn’t clear.
The State’s Warning: “Negative” Doesn’t Always Mean “Sober”
Avellino’s reporting also includes an important caution from TBI that adds complexity to the whole debate.
TBI notes in an email to FOX 17 that some media reports treat “no alcohol or intoxicants detected” as meaning the driver was sober, but the agency says that may not inherently be the case. TBI explains there are various substances that may impair a driver but may not be detected through their screening for different reasons.
TBI also says alcohol screening can be “relatively straightforward,” while drug toxicology can be “incredibly more complex.” That statement doesn’t erase the problem, but it does suggest the lab result isn’t always the final word on impairment.
Avellino reports FOX 17 asked TBI to identify what substances aren’t currently tested for, but the agency has not named them so far. She also notes that law enforcement often declines to reveal technical logistics, arguing it could encourage the public to game the system or compromise investigations.
That’s where public trust gets tested. People want safety and fair enforcement at the same time, but secrecy – even if it’s for security reasons – can make it harder for the public to believe the system is accountable.
What Lawmakers Say Comes Next
Sen. Akbari tells Avellino she plans to work with law enforcement to address the issue, and she talks about crafting new legislation in the upcoming session.
Akbari describes the nightmare of what she calls a false arrest, including the financial, psychological, and emotional issues that come with it. At the same time, she makes the other point that has to be said out loud: nobody wants truly intoxicated drivers on the road either.
Avellino reports potential solutions being discussed include better law enforcement training, as well as bringing substance testing into the field. She notes Tennessee is already starting to see that, including the use of technology like saliva testing in some places.
At the end of the day, this is what the public should demand: fewer bad arrests without weakening the ability to stop actual drunk or drug-impaired drivers. If Tennessee can’t thread that needle, people will keep getting hurt – either by dangerous drivers, or by the system itself.
And as Avellino makes clear, FOX 17 plans to keep tracking what bills come out of the legislative session next week. That follow-through matters, because a number this big shouldn’t be allowed to fade back into the background once the headlines move on.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
