A bill that would create a domestic violence offender registry is moving through the Tennessee House of Representatives.
“This bill creates within the Tennessee bureau of Investigation (TBI) a registry of persons who have been convicted of the offense of domestic assault. The TBI must maintain this registry based upon information supplied to TBI by the court clerks pursuant to this bill, and information available to the TBI from the department of correction and local law enforcement agencies. The TBI must make the registry available for public inquiry on the internet,” according to the summary of HB 2898.
The bill, which passed the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, will require the registry to include the offender’s name, date of birth, conviction date, county or counties of convictions, and a current photograph.
It was introduced by State Representative Sabi “Doc” Kumar (R – Springfield) and was co-sponsored by State Senator Becky Massey (R- Knoxville).
The length of time that offenders will stay in the registry will be based on how many previous domestic assault convictions are on their record.
A person with no prior history of domestic assault would remain on the registry for one year after the date of their latest conviction. By contrast, a person with four or more domestic assault convictions would remain on the registry for 10 years from the date of their latest conviction.
The bill is unofficially titled “Savanna’s Law,” named for Robertson County Sheriff’s Deputy Savanna Puckett, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend James Conn on January 23, 2022.
Conn, who shot Puckett several times, later pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison.
Between 2019 and 2022, before he murdered Puckett, Conn was allegedly involved in at least three other domestic disputes.
“Words cannot express the sadness and grief that Savanna’s family and her Sheriff’s Office family are facing right now. This is a tragedy that we are processing minute by minute. Please keep Savanna, her family, and the Sheriff’s Office in your thoughts and prayers,” Sheriff Michael Van Dyke said at the time of Puckett’s murder.
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
