SPRINGFIELD, TENN. (WTVF) — Robertson County Deputy Savanna Puckett was shot and killed in 2022 at just 22 years old — the victim of a man her family says had a violent past that no one could easily see.

Her mother, Kim Dodson, is determined to make sure other families have the tools to protect themselves. That fight led to “Savanna’s Law,” which creates Tennessee’s first public registry for repeat domestic violence offenders. Dodson is now working to spread the idea nationwide.

Dodson says her daughter spent her short life putting others first — whether serving with the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office, working at Vanderbilt, or volunteering in the community.

“She loved what she did. I know they called her mother hen up there because she was always trying to feed them and take care of them,” Dodson said.

But beneath the man charged in her killing was a record Dodson says even her deputy daughter could not find: four prior domestic violence and stalking charges.

After the murder, Dodson began working with lawmakers to ask a simple question: “Why don’t we have a registry?”

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation now oversees the new Domestic Violence Offender Registry, which began Jan. 1, 2026. Under the law:

• Repeat offenders convicted of qualifying domestic violence crimes must register publicly.
• The registry includes names, conviction counties, conviction dates and, in some cases, photographs.
• Those convicted must have at least one prior domestic violence-related conviction.
• Depending on their criminal history, offenders remain on the registry between five and 20 years.

Dodson points out Tennessee already has registries for sex offenders, animal abusers, and elder abuse perpetrators. She says adding domestic violence offenders was long overdue.

Dodson knows the registry cannot prevent every violent crime, but she hopes it can give families access to information her daughter never had.

“If Savanna had this to look up, I don’t believe she would ever have gotten involved with him. If I can save one person — another mother, another grandmother — it’s worth it,” Dodson said.

Advocates from 12 other states have reached out, hoping to replicate the law. Dodson’s ultimate goal is to pass a federal law making the registry nationwide.

Until then, she says she’ll keep pushing — both in the legislature and in the community — through the Deputy Puckett Foundation.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Neighbors transform Antioch Pike after deadly hit-and-run

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Here’s a story offering a great example of how a common cause, and a little creativity, can “intersect” to improve quality of life. Our South Nashville reporter Patsy Montesinos shares how some neighbors decided to take action, following the tragic death of a 77-year-old in a hit-and-run along Antioch Pike earlier this year. See how they used “tactical urbanism” to make the area a little safer for all.

– Rhori Johnston

A pair of childhood classmates who served together in the Tennessee National Guard reconnected during their cancer treatments nearly 50 years after they fell out of touch.

Billy Taylor, a two-time cancer survivor, wasn’t entirely surprised when he found himself back at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at TriStar Natchez in Dickson, Tennessee, for yet another round of radiation, WSMV 4 reported.

At the same time, Randy Duke was riding his motorcycle to the same center for daily radiation and chemotherapy treatments as he fights an aggressive throat cancer.

For weeks, neither knew that they were incidentally crossing paths with an old friend.

Duke and Taylor attended school together in White Bluff, Tennessee — just 10 miles outside of Dickson — and were in the same training unit in the Volunteer State’s National Guard.

They lost contact in 1979 when Taylor left the guard to pursue his own business, and figured that was the end of things.

Taylor recognized Duke’s name immediately when he heard a nurse call for him while they were both in the waiting room at the center. Physically, though, Duke looked like a stranger — and vice versa.

“I didn’t know for sure that was him because we changed so much. I wouldn’t have known him if I hadn’t heard his name. I would have never guessed in a million years who he was,” Taylor told WSMV 4.

Taylor didn’t say anything until he got a closer look at Duke in the parking lot three days later.

“Drake, is that you?” Taylor recounted shouting at Duke.

Duke always went by his middle name, Drake, in school because there were so many other students named Randy.

“Oh my goodness, yeah. I can see it now, Billy Ray, and I was glad to see him,” Duke remembered replying while Taylor reintroduced himself.

The pair have been inseparable ever since. They spent hours catching up and reflecting on “all the crazy stuff” they did in the Guard — effectively filling a gaping hole in Duke’s life.

When Duke first started his cancer treatments, he knew it would be difficult, but he told the outlet that the lack of real connection was even harder.

“We used to know everybody in White Bluff. Now, we don’t hardly know anybody. We go to a restaurant and I’m searching for somebody I know up there,” he said.

Now, he and Taylor are leaving for their morning appointments a little earlier so they can carve out extra time to chat in the waiting room.

“We could sit out there and talk. It got our mind off things too. It was just a good feeling to see him again. You don’t see many people that you’ve not seen in 48 years,” Taylor told the outlet.

“As you get older, you’ve got less and less time to meet them. So, it might be a good time to do it,” Duke added.

When Taylor completed his treatments, he rang the center’s chemo bell with Duke by his side. Taylor said he plans to do the same for Duke when he finishes his treatments in June.

Duke, meanwhile, is hoping to secure a part-time job with Taylor when he’s well enough so they can work side-by-side as they did in their youth.