Domestic violence offenders on Nashville streets without ankle monitors for weeks after new law passes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The death of Lauren Johansen has sparked outrage and calls for criminal justice reform. The 22-year-old Mississippi woman was killed when, police said, her ex-boyfriend was not properly fitted with an ankle monitor.

WSMV4 found the same thing happening in other incidents.

A new law went into effect on July 1 called the “Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act.” Part of this requires people accused of serious assault in domestic cases to be fitted with ankle monitors.

But WSMV4 found that in several cases this did not happen and they were allowed to leave the prison without any prosecution.

Johansen’s death has prompted legislative hearings, calls for criminal justice reform and demands to know how Bricen Rivers could, according to police, leave Nashville and travel to Mississippi to kill his girlfriend when he was ordered to be equipped with an ankle monitor.

However, WSMV4 wanted to know if it continued to happen even after Johansen’s death?

WSMV4 obtained the dates and times the offenders were released from prison and received an ankle monitor.

We found that in the first two weeks after the new law went into effect, three different domestic violence offenders charged with aggravated assault were released from the Davidson County Jail without an ankle monitor.

Detrain Davis did not have an ankle monitor for 14 days. Reginald Coffee was on the streets of Nashville for 21 days without one of the devices. In the end, Anthony Reynolds went 30 days before being fitted with a tracker.

“We’re dealing with victim safety, so even one is too many,” said Christina Johnson, Davidson County Deputy District Attorney and Domestic Violence Unit Team Leader.

She said she realized her mistakes when the three accused criminals were released without ankle monitors.

“We found people, we filed motions and we worked these things out,” Johnson said.

So how did it happen even after the new law mandates these devices?

Johnson found, along with Reynolds, that the magistrate or judge was not following the new law. The box asking to get a GPS tracker was never checked. As for Davis and Coffee, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office said it was a paperwork error.

“It’s really urgent that when we find those types of failures that we fix them quickly because the safety of survivors should be at the center of everything we do,” said Jennifer Escue of the Tennessee Coalition to End Violence domestic and sexual.

She is concerned mistakes like these could mean victims can lose confidence in the system, but understands the ankle monitor requirements were new when the three were released.

“First of all, I know it’s a new law and there’s always a learning curve,” Escue said.

“What do you say to a victim, whether it’s one of these three or other victims of domestic violence, when they see a story like this and feel like they’ve been neglected?” WSMV4’s Marissa Sulek asked Johnson.

“That’s a very difficult question to answer,” she replied. “I will say that when someone is identified as a victim of domestic violence and has a criminal record before us at the DA’s office, we go hand in hand with them.”

WSMV4 reached out to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and the magistrate’s office, but they declined to go on camera.

WSMV4 found that a lot of work has gone into making sure every entity complies with the new law.

The sheriff’s office said they now include order forms with release documents in case they are empty, to make sure they know if someone needs an ankle monitor or not.

Under the new state law, victims have the option to track their offender on their phone so they can be aware of their surroundings and know if they are in danger.

If you or someone is a victim of domestic violence and need help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 (SAFE).