Latest news with #TennesseeBureauofInvestigation
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a day ago
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Human trafficking suspect arrested after investigation at Nashville motels
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A man was arrested Tuesday following an investigation into a human trafficking operation based out of Nashville motels. According to court documents, special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation in December 2023 into a human trafficking operation at Super 8 in the 800 block of Murfreesboro Pike and Somatel Nashville Airport Hotel on Metroplex Drive. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → During this investigation, officials spoke with two women who claimed they were recruited in Venezuela and smuggled to the United States. Once in Tennessee, the women were reportedly forced into engaging in commercial sex to pay off 'fines' of $20,000-$30,000. Arrest documents detail how the women were sex trafficked under the direction of several people, including Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero and Yilibeth Del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera –who were indicted in February for their roles in a Middle Tennessee-based sex trafficking operation. Tuesday, officers arrested a third person — 25-year-old Ramon de Jesus Velasquez-Martinez — for his role in a similar operation involving Mota-Rivero. According to reports, one of the women said between November 2023 and February 2025 Velasquez-Martinez sent commercial sex clients to her motel rooms, took the money earned from these interactions and frequently took her cellphone to monitor who she was in contact with. RELATED: Several Venezuelan nationals indicted for role in Middle Tennessee-based sex trafficking ring The woman told authorities that in 2024, she escaped the trafficking operation and moved to Miami to work at a restaurant. Velasquez-Martinez reportedly showed up at her workplace and threatened her with a gun to go with him while making comments about her children back in Venezuela. Court documents said after this interaction she returned to Nashville with him and was forced back in to participating in commercial sex acts. During the investigation authorities reportedly found 26 advertisements for commercial sex posted in Nashville which featured Velasquez-Martinez's phone number as the main point of contact. Authorities said thousands of text messages were recovered between Velasquez-Martinez and other suspects regarding commercial sex clients, advertisements and firearms. ⏩ Velasquez-Martinez is charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felony trafficking for a commercial sex act. According to Davidson County Sheriff's Office records, he is being held on an ICE detainer and a $150,000 bond. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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2 days ago
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New Tennessee law criminalizes AI technology for child pornography creation
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Beginning on July 1, 2025, it will be a crime in Tennessee to create or share technology specifically designed to create or facilitate the creation of AI-generated child pornography. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston), was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee on April 24, and it will take effect on July 1. The law makes it a felony to 'knowingly possess, distribute, or produce any software or technology specifically designed to create or facilitate the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.' Possession will be a Class E felony, distribution will be a Class C felony and production will be a Class B felony. Locals, tourists recall major Gatlinburg crash that injured seven 'When in the wrong hands, artificial intelligence has the ability to make exploitive crimes even worse,' said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch. 'I applaud the General Assembly and Governor Lee for seeing the value in strengthening our state's laws to better protect Tennesseans, and I'm proud our state is leading the way on common sense measures to ensure this emerging technology doesn't become a dangerous tool for bad actors.' Yager said the goal of the bill was to combat the rise of AI-generated child pornography while preserving legitimate AI applications. A release from his office explained that the legislation does not broadly ban AI, but targets tools with the intent to generate child pornography. The senator worked with the TBI to create the legislation. 'This law is about keeping pace with rapidly evolving technology to protect our children from unthinkable exploitation,' said Yager. 'Bad actors are using AI to create disturbing and abusive content, and Tennessee is taking a strong stand to stop it. By criminalizing the tools used to generate AI child pornography, we're giving law enforcement what they need to pursue offenders and protect victims.' What state laws protect kids against AI-generated deepfakes? This is not the first law in Tennessee targeting AI and child pornography. In 2024, the state added AI-generated images to the state's anti-child pornography laws. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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2 days ago
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Silver Alert issued for missing Lewis County man
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued a Silver Alert for a man reported missing from Lewis County. The TBI reported 81-year-old Gary Wedlake was last seen Monday in Gun Barrell, Texas. Wedlake is 5 feet 8 inches tall, 179 pounds with gray hair and green eyes. He was wearing a light-blue collared shirt, jeans and black shoes. He may be driving a white 2000 Chevrolet Sierra with TN license plate N9107J with a silver toolbox in the bed of the truck. Anyone with information is urged to call the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or the Howenwald Police Department at 931-796-3223. 📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.💻 for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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2 days ago
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TBI issues Silver Alert for missing Williamson County man
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Silver Alert was issued Tuesday for a missing man out of Williamson County. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 67-year-old David Nurre was last seen around 2 p.m. Monday on Concord Road in Brentwood. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → Officials said he is 6 feet tall and 150 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Nurre is also described as having a long, brown beard. He may be driving a white 2003 Toyota Rav 4 with a large dent on the back passenger side bumper. The vehicle's Tennessee license plate number is 'BFT0795.' If you see Nurre, call the Franklin Police Department at 615-794-2513 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. 📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.💻 for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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3 days ago
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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
