Tennessee launched the country’s first-ever public database tracking and listing convicted domestic abusers as part of a ratified law honoring a sheriff’s deputy who was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend.

The database, which officially launched on Jan. 1, includes offenders’ names, photos and dates of birth and is part of Savanna’s Law. The bill was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in May 2025 and required the state to establish the registry in Savanna Puckett’s name.

Puckett, a 22-year-old Robertson County Sheriff’s deputy, was tragically killed by her ex-boyfriend, James Conn, at her home on Jan. 23, 2022. Conn had a lengthy history of domestic assault arrests that Puckett had no knowledge of before they began dating.

Conn shot Puckett in the torso and head before he set her home on fire. He pleaded guilty to her murder in August 2023 and was sentenced to life in prison.

Puckett’s distraught mother, Kim Dodson, was determined to save other domestic abuse victims from her daughter’s fate and began pushing state lawmakers for change.

She was a staunch advocate for the bill’s passage and said that if the registry had existed sooner, her daughter might still be alive.

“I was just horrified when I finally saw all those records because I know Savanna well enough that she would have never dated him. I honestly, honestly, honestly feel that if she had known that she could still be here,” Dodson told WSMV.

The domestic abuser registry is run through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and lists anyone in the state who has been convicted of at least two domestic violence-related charges, according to the website.

However, the offender’s registration is dependent on the accusing victim. If the victim doesn’t consent to their abuser’s name being included, then the offender can bypass the registry.

The database doesn’t include info on offenders convicted before the new year, so the current list is limited. But it was made in the mirror image of the state’s sex offender registry, which is more fleshed out with decades-worth of listings.

The sex offender registry includes a rolling queue of “wanted violators” and a “map of offenders.”

Tennessee has previously ranked among the top 10 states with the most domestic violence homicides. In 2019, it tied for fifth with South Carolina in a separate list detailing the states with the highest femicide rates, WTVF reported.

• Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward left the Week 18 game against the Jaguars with a shoulder injury.
• The injury occurred during a first-quarter touchdown run after a hard hit from a Jaguars linebacker.
• Prior to the injury, the former Miami star had played every offensive snap of the season for Tennessee.

Tennessee Titans quarterback and former Miami star Cam Ward exited the Week 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a shoulder injury, sustained during a first-quarter touchdown run at EverBank Stadium on Jan. 4.

The Titans initially listed Ward as questionable to return, before declaring him out late in the first quarter. Up until the injury, the rookie quarterback had appeared in every offensive snap during the regular season for last-place Tennessee.

While rounding right end and diving for the end zone, Ward absorbed a hard hit from Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun as he also struck the ground just inside the end zone pylon. The rush gave the Titans a short-lived 7-0 lead.

Ward entered the medical tent after the injury, and Tennessee medical staff subsequently escorted him to the locker room.

The rookie from Miami had completed 24 of 38 passes for 141 yards when the Titans played Jacksonville on Nov. 30, a 25-3 Jaguars win. At Miami, Ward was a finalist for the 2024 Heisman Trophy, which ultimately went to Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, now with the Jaguars but also out due to injury.

Former Jaguars quarterback Brandon Allen entered the game in Ward’s place on the next series. The Jags drafted Allen in the sixth round (No. 201) in 2016, although he never appeared in a regular-season game for Jacksonville.

With a victory, the Jaguars would clinch the AFC South and a first-round home assignment for the playoffs. The Titans were eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Conference play has a way of revealing what teams really are, and Arkansas fans it’s a positive omen for the rest of the season.

Behind a career-high 29 points from freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr., the Razorbacks opened league play Saturday with an 86-75 victory over Tennessee at Bud Walton Arena.

After starting 0-5 last season, but having to battle their way to a Sweet 16 spot, they showed it’s not the end of the world. Now everybody will see what happens when they start strong.

Arkansas improved to 11-3 overall and 1-0 in the SEC, snapping a short run of slow conference starts while giving the home crowd a reason to settle in for winter.

The Volunteers arrived with a reputation for toughness and efficiency, and they lived up to that billing early, trading baskets and refusing to let the Hogs separate.

Tennessee shot well most of the afternoon and stayed within reach even when Arkansas briefly surged in the first half.

The difference was not dominance but steadiness, especially when the game tightened late.

Arkansas leaned on balance, patience, and the calm of a freshman who played like he had been here before.

Acuff shot 9 of 16 from the field and knocked down the biggest shot of the day, a three-pointer with 2:09 left that pushed the Razorbacks’ lead to 79-68.

The basket came just as Tennessee threatened to turn a close game into a coin flip.

“I was just trying to make the right play,” Acuff said. “Coach tells us to be confident and take our shots with conviction.”

Arkansas finds rhythm late

That confidence spread.

Meleek Thomas added 18 points, Malique Ewin finished with 12, and Karter Knox chipped in 11 as Arkansas placed four players in double figures.

No single run blew the game open, but one stretch midway through the second half tilted the floor.

Arkansas used an 18-5 run over 6 minutes and 37 seconds to flip a five-point deficit into an eight-point lead.

During that stretch, Tennessee missed eight straight shots and managed only two field goals on its next ten attempts.

The Razorbacks did not rush offense or chase highlights.

They waited for good looks, attacked the rim, and trusted the whistle.

Arkansas shot 29 of 33 from the free-throw line, quietly building a cushion that Tennessee never fully erased.

The Volunteers made life difficult with efficient shooting, finishing at 49 percent from the floor.

Amari Evans led Tennessee with 17 points and did not miss a shot, going 7 for 7.

But free throws told a different story. Tennessee went 12 of 23 at the line, leaving points behind that mattered when possessions shrank.

“We stuck to the process,” Arkansas’ coach said. “We just kept competing and playing our game.”

Useful start to conference play

This was not a loud win, but it was a useful one. Arkansas didn’t overwhelm Tennessee with pace or pressure.

Instead, the Hogs won with composure, spacing, and an understanding of when to slow the game down.

That matters in a league where possessions tighten and whistles get louder in February.

The Razorbacks finished at 42 percent shooting overall, with Acuff the only Arkansas player above 50 percent from the floor.

They didn’tneed perfection. They needed reliability and got it.

The crowd of more than 19,000 saw a team comfortable being uncomfortable, a team that didn’t panic when Tennessee crept close.

That calm showed most clearly in Acuff, whose late three settled both the scoreboard and the building.

Arkansas has reached the Sweet 16 in four of the past five seasons, and this game looked like one that fits that blueprint:

• Balanced scoring.
• Free throws made.
• Mistakes absorbed without unraveling.
• The SEC does not reward flash in January.
• It rewards teams that handle moments.
• The Razorbacks handled this one.

Arkansas will travel to Ole Miss next, carrying a conference win that counts the same as any other but feels heavier because of how it was earned.

Tennessee returns home to face Texas, searching for answers that were more subtle than glaring.

Key takeaways

• Darius Acuff Jr.’s career-high 29 points included the decisive three late.
• Four Razorbacks scored in double figures, easing pressure throughout the game.
• Arkansas’ edge at the line separated two evenly matched teams.

Hogs Feed