Tennessee Creates Domestic Abuse Registry Named After Murdered Deputy
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed Savanna's Law this week, creating a first-of-its-kind domestic violence registry in the state for individuals convicted multiple times of offenses against domestic abuse victims.
The law is named in honor of Robertson County Deputy Savanna Puckett, who was
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2 days ago
- Yahoo
TN Gov. Lee signs 'Savanna's Law,' creates statewide domestic violence offender registry
Three years after the death of a young sheriff's deputy, Tennessee legislators have enacted a new law in her honor creating a public registry to track repeat domestic violence offenders. Gov. Bill Lee signed House Bill 1200, known as "Savanna's Law," on May 21, 2025. The bill is named in honor of Robertson County Sheriff's Deputy Savanna Puckett, who was found shot to death inside her burning home on Jan. 23, 2022. Puckett, 22, died at the hands of her ex-boyfriend James Jackson Conn, who pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder, among other charges, and is serving a life sentence. More: Named for slain Tennessee deputy, bill would create domestic violence offender registry The newly enacted law will go on to create a registry at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for people convicted of a second and subsequent domestic violence offense and make offender information publicly available online beginning next year. As previously reported by The Tennessean, Tennessee state Rep. Sabi "Doc" Kumar of Robertson County introduced House Bill 1200 to strengthen domestic violence protections statewide. "Savanna's Law provides a critical step toward protecting future victims and holding repeat domestic violence offenders accountable,' Kumar said in previously prepared statements. 'The registry will give communities the tools they need to stay informed and safe." The Robertson County Sheriff's Office did not respond to The Tennessean's request for comments before the publishing of this story. According to the Tennessee General Assembly, the bill applies to individuals with a domestic offense committed on or after Jan. 1, 2026, with at least one prior. A prior conviction is not required to have occurred on or after that date. 'Individuals with a domestic offense (not confined to domestic assault) after January 1, and who have a prior domestic offense (can be before January 1) are supposed to be ordered onto the registry by the court,' a representative of the TBI said. Domestic offenses include assault, sexual assault, stalking and murder, among other offenses. Court clerks will be required to send certified copies of any offender convictions that meet the criteria for the new registry to the bureau within seven days of conviction. Currently, state officials don't know how many people may be required to register next year. Officials estimate at least 1,838 offenders will be required to register in the first year based on data from the Administrative Office of the Courts and Department of Correction Jail Summary Reports, according to the March 25 fiscal memorandum. How did they arrive at that number? The data shows an average of 4,594 domestic offense convictions have occurred each year for the last five years, though it's unknown how many of these convictions were for second or subsequent offenses. The Tennessee General Assembly Fiscal Review Committee assumes it's about 40% of convictions. 'There may also be an additional unknown number of offenders for second convictions of other relevant offenses that are not captured in this data, but this is assumed to capture the large majority of the relevant offenders,' state officials said. That led them to the roughly 1,800 offenders they believe will be required to register in 2026. But it may take a few months for the registry to fill out, as cases proceed through the courts and await convictions. 'It is not known precisely how long it will take for convictions to occur for offenses committed on and after January 1, 2026. It is assumed the first convictions will begin to occur three months later, or on April 1, 2026,' state officials said. Officials assume offenders will begin paying registration fees that day. Individuals who fall under the new law will be legally required to include the following information: Name Date of birth Conviction date County or counties of convictions Current photograph of the offender Information that will not be available to the public incudes addresses, social security numbers, driver license numbers or any other state or federal identification number. Along with the creation of this new registry, four new positions will also be created within the TBI to maintain it including one staff attorney, two intelligence analysts and one accounting technician. The TBI says all four positions, including salary and benefits, will cost the state $407,625 each year. Here's a breakdown of the salary and benefits for each position: Attorney: $162,990 Intelligence Analysts (2): $173,816 Accounting Technician: $70,819 State officials say the new positions will begin on Jan. 1. Other expenses related to these new positions are expected such as equipment, supplies, communication, training and professional services estimated at $50,073. That figure does not include a recurring $35,000 TBI officials estimate it will cost each year for registry maintenance and support. Another $250,000 will be needed to build and store the registry. TBI officials estimate a $150,000 cost to contract with a vendor to build the registry, and $100,000 will be needed for additional storage and processing capacity, according to the document. On April 16, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed the bill with an amendment. That amendment did two things. It changed who would receive registration fees for the registry and when offenders could be taken off the registry. The bill previously outlined a $150 registration fee partially retained by the court clerk and TBI. Clerks would retain $50 for administrative costs, while TBI would retain the remaining $100 to maintain the registry, The Tennessean previously reported. However, the amendment now requires the department of finance and administration's office of criminal justice programs receive the remaining $100 for the administration of grants to fund family violence prevention and intervention services. Offenders are not required to pay recurring annual fees. The amendment also replaced the bill's schedule for removing identifying information about a persistent domestic violence offender from the registry. Individuals may remove identifying information from the registry under the following circumstances: Five years after the date of the most recent conviction if the defendant has one prior conviction for domestic assault. Seven years after the date of the most recent conviction if the defendant has two prior convictions for domestic assault. 10 years after the date of the most recent conviction if the defendant has three prior convictions for domestic assault. 20 years after the date of the most recent conviction if the defendant has four or more prior convictions for domestic assault. Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee creates statewide domestic violence offender registry
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Robertson Co. deputy's loved ones speak out after governor signs law honoring her legacy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The loved ones of a Robertson County Sheriff's Deputy killed in a domestic violence-related incident have spoken out since Governor Bill Lee signed a bill honoring her life and legacy. On Tuesday, Lee signed 'Savanna's Law,' which creates a public registry of habitual domestic violence offenders. The legislation is named after Savanna Puckett, who was murdered at her Springfield home in 2022. Her mother, Kim Dodson, pushed for the law's passage and testified before lawmakers on the issue. RELATED | Gov. Lee signs 'Savanna's Law,' creating habitual domestic violence offender registry and honoring Robertson Co. deputy Kim said that Puckett was just starting a promising career at the Robertson County Sheriff's Office when her life was cut short in 2022. 'She wasn't even on patrol a year when this incident happened,' Kim said. James Conn is the man responsible for Puckett's death; in August 2023, he pleaded guilty to three major counts in her murder. He has since been sentenced to life in prison. 'Savanna met this young man online,' her stepfather Jason Dodson said. 'He's a monster.' Kim said that Puckett's death could've been prevented had she been able to research Conn's criminal history, which included domestic assault. 'I just don't know that there's words to describe the emotion I went through,' Kim said. 'Savanna's Law,' which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, creates a registry of persistent domestic violence offenders. Rep. Sabi 'Doc' Kumar (R-Springfield) sponsored the bill. 'For a good, loving people and for a good town, this was very tragic,' Kumar said. 'Especially the sheriff's people who knew her well.' Sharon Roberson, President and CEO of the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee, said that the law has the potential to be helpful. 'I think that we're going to have to look to see whether that plays out to see whether or not it will provide a resource for individuals to better understand who they're dealing with, for instance,' Roberson said. APRIL 2024 | 'It's time we stand up': Mother of murdered deputy pushes for domestic violence offender registry The Dodsons told News 2 that they had been wondering what their next step would be and think the law is a good move forward. 'This has been amazing,' Dodson said. 'We left many a times with tears in our eyes trying to figure out what's our next step — what's our next step?' For anyone in a crisis, help is out there. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Epoch Times
6 days ago
- Epoch Times
Tennessee Creates Domestic Abuse Registry Named After Murdered Deputy
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed Savanna's Law this week, creating a first-of-its-kind domestic violence registry in the state for individuals convicted multiple times of offenses against domestic abuse victims. The law is named in honor of Robertson County Deputy Savanna Puckett, who was
