KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Knox County is facing a lawsuit after a man claims a sheriff’s office deputy arrested him for driving drunk, even though he hadn’t had a drink in more than a year. The lawsuit, filed by Taylor Skinner, claims Deputy Jacob Moore refused to believe even his fellow officers when they said Skinner likely hadn’t been drinking before getting on the road.
The lawsuit was filed against Knox County and Moore on April 10, 2026 in federal court. The arrest happened April 11, 2025. In it, Skinner’s attorney says his client was driving home from a Knoxville Planet Fitness when Moore pulled him over on West Emory Road. The lawsuit claims Skinner was accused of crossing over the double yellow line and having a faulty tail light. That said, the lawsuit takes issue with the accusation.
“Video from Deputy Moore’s body cam show no defects with the plaintiff’s passenger side taillights,” the lawsuit says. “Additionally, there does not appear to be a double yellow line on the section of West Emory Road where Deputy Moore was following the plaintiff.”
A look on Google Maps shows that Emory Road has a turning lane near the Heiskell Road intersection where Moore stopped Skinner, but the lane does transition to a double yellow line just before the intersection itself.
“Upon returning to his patrol vehicle and talking with another police officer, Deputy Moore stated ‘Yeah he’s definitely 49. Well, he’s been drinking at least. Smells like alcohol,’” the lawsuit says. “‘He’s got an open Twisted Tea in the cup holder.”
Even though, according to the lawsuit, Skinner had explained he had no alcohol, he was still made to do field sobriety tests.
That’s when Moore arrested Skinner. However, the lawsuit claims Moore had another opinion, one from a fellow officer, that he ignored.
“Prior to placing [Skinner] under arrest, another officer approached Deputy Moore and informed him that the open container in the vehicle was not twisted tea, but was actually a Le Croix,” the lawsuit says. “After opening the driver’s side door, Deputy Moore told another officer ‘It reeks in here.’ The other officer responded, ‘I smell Lysol spray.’”
After being taken to jail, the lawsuit says, Skinner’s blood draw came up negative for alcohol and drugs. His charges were later dismissed, prompting him to ask the court for more than $600,000.
It marks the latest in a series of conflicts between Tennessee law enforcement and the sober drivers they arrest. It’s become a trend that responding officers charge drivers, only to find out they had no substances in their system.
