Second documented case of a sober driver arrested by police officers for drunk driving

MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. (WSMV) – Keith Von Soosten saw the blue lights in his rearview mirror as he left dinner on August 26, 2023, but knew he lived just down the street.

When he arrived, body camera video showed state troopers almost immediately asking him if he had been drinking.

The answer was yes, but not enough to be drunk, Von Soosten told WSMV4 Investigates.

“How much did you have to drink tonight?” Trooper Dakota Rinehart asked in the video.

“Not much,” Von Soosten said. “I didn't drink much. I’m not smart, I haven’t drunk much.”

Rinehart later wrote in a search warrant for Von Soosten's blood that the East Tennessee man crossed the center line, had a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot eyes and thick, slurred speech.

But von Soosten tells WSMV4 Investigates that while he swerved when attempting to fasten his seatbelt, he did not feel it was a need to conduct a field sobriety test.

When the other officer on the scene, William Yates-Matoy, asked von Soosten to take a sobriety test, he replied no.

“Okay, you’re under arrest for drunk driving,” Yates-Matoy is heard saying in the body camera footage.

“Why is that? Wow, wait, don't do that yet. I’m asking the question,” Von Soosten said.

Von Soosten would be accused of several crimes, including drunk driving, reckless driving and implied consent.

Two months later, von Soosten's blood test showed that his blood alcohol level was 0.067, sober enough to drive.

But the damage was done, he said.

“What is humiliating is your mugshot and your name appearing in the newspaper,” Von Soosten said.

Von Soosten would be the second person arrested and/or investigated for drunk driving by Yates-Matoy, whose blood test results later showed he was legally allowed to drive.

Yates-Matoy and another police officer are being sued in federal court over the December 2023 arrest of Thomas Manis, whose blood test showed he was completely sober at the time of his DUI arrest.

On the body camera from Manis' arrest, Yates-Matoy can be heard assessing him before his sobriety test and saying, “Guaranteed he smoked weed today.”

In body camera footage of the August arrest, Yates-Matoy later apologizes to fellow officer Rinehart for putting his hand on Von Soosten after he refused to take the field sobriety test.

“I’m sorry I caught that guy. 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 those types of officers that I'm not allowed to question. “What I say goes,” Von Soosten said. “When I didn’t comply with his wishes, it made him angry.”

WSMV4 Investigates shared our findings with the THP and requested an interview. They wanted to know whether the state agency tracks drunk driving arrests to see whether drivers are ultimately found guilty or whether the charges are dismissed because of sobriety.

We are still waiting for a response from the THP.

Ultimately, charges of drunken driving, reckless driving and implied consent were dropped, but von Soosten pleaded guilty to seat belt violation and improper lane changing.

If you would like WSMV4 Investigates to contribute to our “Disillusionment” investigation, please email [email protected].

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