2nd documented case of sober driver arrested for DUI by state trooper
In both arrests, drivers were assessed and/or arrested by trooper William Yates-Matoy for DUI.
MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. (WSMV) - Keith Von Soosten saw the blue lights in his rear-view mirror as he left dinner on Aug. 26, 2023, but knew he lived just down the street.
Once he pulled in, body camera video showed state troopers asking almost immediately if he’d been drinking.
The answer was yes, but not enough, Von Soosten told WSMV4 Investigates, to be drunk.
“How much did you have to drink tonight?” asked Trooper Dakota Rinehart in the video.
“Not much,” Von Soosten said. “I didn’t drink much. I’m not being smart, I’ve not drank much.”
Rinehart would later write in a search warrant for Von Soosten’s blood that the East Tennessee man had crossed the center line, had a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot eyes and a thick, slurred speech.
But Von Soosten tells WSMV4 Investigates that he did swerve while trying to put on his seat belt but did not feel it warranted him to conduct a field sobriety test.
So when the other trooper on the scene, William Yates-Matoy, asked Von Soosten to take a field sobriety test, his answer was no.
“Alright, you’re under arrest for DUI,” Yates-Matoy can be heard saying in the body camera footage.
“Why is that? Whoa, wait, don’t do that yet. I’m asking the question,” Von Soosten said.
Von Soosten would be charged with several offenses, including DUI, reckless driving and implied consent.
Two months later, Von Soosten’s blood test showed his blood alcohol level was .067, sober enough to drive.
But the damage, he said, was done.
“What’s humiliating is your mugshot and you get your name in the paper,” Von Soosten said.
Von Soosten would become the second person arrested and/or assessed by Yates-Matoy for a DUI whose blood test results later showed was legally allowed to drive.
Yates-Matoy, and another trooper, are being sued in federal court for the December 2023 arrest of Thomas Manis, whose blood work showed he was completely sober at the time of his DUI arrest.
In the body camera from Manis’ arrest, Yates-Matoy can be heard assessing him before his field sobriety test, saying, “Guarantee he smoked weed today.”
In body camera footage of the August arrest, Yates-Matoy later apologizes to his fellow trooper, Rinehart, for stepping into cuff Von Soosten after he refused to do the field sobriety test.
“Sorry about snatching that dude up, as soon as they tell me no, I go into attack mode,” Von Soosten said in the video.
“I think Trooper Yates-Matoy is one of these types of officers that I’m not to be questioned. What I say goes,” Von Soosten said. “When I did not comply with what he wanted, it made him angry.”
WSMV4 Investigates shared our findings with the THP and asked for an interview, inquiring if the state agency was tracking DUI arrests to see if drivers are ultimately found guilty or if the charges are dismissed because of sobriety.
We are still waiting for a response from the THP.
Ultimately, the charges of DUI, reckless driving and implied consent were dropped, but Von Soosten did plead guilty to a seat belt violation and improperly changing lanes.
This story is the latest development in our “Sobering Problem” investigation, which has documented how sober Tennesseans are being arrested for DUI.
If there’s something you want WSMV4 Investigates to know for our “Sobering Problem” investigation, please email Jeremy.finley@wsmv.com.
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