A new Tennessee law establishing a public registry for repeat domestic violence offenders took effect this year, as Southeast Texas continues to see thousands of family violence cases annually and dozens of offenders remain behind bars locally, drawing attention to how communities address repeat abuse.
Known as “Savanna’s Law,” the legislation establishes a publicly searchable registry of persistent domestic violence offenders.
Under the law which took effect Jan. 1, if a person is convicted of an offense against a domestic abuse victim and has at least one prior conviction for a similar offense, the court must order that individual to register as a persistent domestic violence offender. The length of time a person remains on the registry depends on the number of prior convictions — ranging from two years for one prior conviction to ten years for three or more.
The legislation is named after Deputy Savanna Puckett, a 22-year-old Robertson County Sheriff’s deputy found shot to death in her burning Springfield home in 2022 after failing to report for work. Puckett’s ex-boyfriend, James Conn, who had a documented history of domestic assault, was charged in her killing — highlighting what investigators described as a failure to flag repeat offenders before tragedy struck.
While the registry applies in Tennessee, domestic violence remains a significant issue in Texas — and especially in Southeast Texas.
Locally, the Beaumont Police Department Family Violence Unit handles approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cases each year, working with partner agencies to investigate domestic violence claims and assist families with safety planning.
At press time, the Jefferson County jail housed individuals arrested on more than 50 family violence charges, proof of the ongoing volume of cases moving through the local criminal justice system.
“The citizens in our community have a right to feel safe on the streets of their hometowns and especially in their own homes,” said Jefferson County District Attorney Keith Giblin. “We have no tolerance for assaults against people in their own homes committed by their family members that they trust and love.”
Jefferson County Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens also emphasized the importance of curbing repeat violence.
“Anything we can do to curb domestic violence is a good thing, especially repeat performers, those on probation and those who continue to repeat this type of activity. Too often, the emotion of the relationship gets in the way of clear thinking when people get upset. For someone to do this to someone they purportedly love makes you wonder what someone is capable of doing to someone they did not pledge their undying love to.”
Local nonprofit Family Services of Southeast Texas, which serves Hardin, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, and Tyler counties, reported serving 1,908 clients in 2025 across its domestic violence and sexual assault programs. The agency provided more than 66,188 services, including case management, counseling, legal advocacy, court accompaniment, transportation, and emergency shelter. The organization also recorded approximately 4,800 shelter days in 2025, with an average stay of 30 days, reflecting ongoing demand for emergency housing and victim services. Family Services operates a 24-hour crisis line at (409) 832-7575.
Jefferson County Assistant District Attorney Brit Featherston, who has more than a decade of law enforcement experience and nearly three decades as a prosecutor, said although Texas already pursues enhanced penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders, he would support legislation similar to “Savanna’s Law” locally.
“As long as the registration is based on convictions, I have absolutely no problem with a registry for someone who is habitually convicted of domestic violence and I think that would be a great awareness tool,” Featherston said.
“I wouldn’t have a problem with leaving someone on there permanently instead of timing them out, either,” the veteran lawman added. “In my world, the leopard doesn’t change his spots – if he’s been an abuser before, he’s going to be an abuser again. And, I feel the same way about sexual crimes, too. If you’re willing to hit a woman the first time, you’re probably willing to hit a woman a second time. That goes for men and women.”
The prosecutor said he sees a lot of women come in, who are obviously victims of domestic violence, but express that they do not want to press charges.
“There’s often a socioeconomic element to these cases, and victims are often worried if their abuser will lose their job, or if they will be able to feed their kids without him,” he said.
A Southeast Texas woman who survived years of abuse said fear, finances, and protecting her child kept her trapped longer than she ever expected.
“I was afraid I couldn’t do it on my own,” she said. “I knew I could protect my daughter from getting hit by taking it myself. It got to the point where I felt she wasn’t safe anymore, and I finally left.”
She said financial dependence and limited shelter availability made leaving feel nearly impossible.
“A lot of the reason I stayed was financial. I didn’t have the means to take care of her myself, and it was so hard to get into a shelter,” she said.
Beyond the physical violence, she said the emotional control was constant.
“I didn’t feel like I had any control over my life,” she said. “He made me feel like he wasn’t going to do it again — that he was sorry and going to change and get help — but then he turned around and did it all over again.”
Her experience mirrors what prosecutors said makes repeat domestic violence cases so difficult to interrupt — victims often remain trapped long enough for abuse patterns to escalate.
Featherston said proceeding with prosecution is a case-by-case situation and that victims sit down with investigators to ensure they aren’t being coerced into trying to stop prosecution.
“But, if there is enough evidence, we often go forward with prosecution even without the victim’s cooperation,” Featherston said. “However, in some cases, we do not have enough evidence without their statement, and the case is dropped.”
Featherston said that, while the district attorney’s office understands the complexity of familial relationships, the office’s No. 1 priority must remain to protect victims.
According to the latest report from Texas Council on Family Violence, 161 Texans were killed in intimate partner violence homicides in 2024, including 137 women and 24 men. Nearby Harris County recorded 47 family violence fatalities, the highest total in the state. More than 66,000 Texans sought family violence services in 2024, including 23,047 children.
Under Texas law, a second family violence conviction can be enhanced from a misdemeanor to a felony. Repeated assaults within a 12-month period can also be charged as continuous violence against the family, a third-degree felony. Aggravating factors such as strangulation, serious bodily injury, or use of a deadly weapon can further elevate charges and penalties.
Recent Jefferson County cases illustrate how repeat domestic violence can escalate across socioeconomic lines — and how court outcomes can vary widely despite serious allegations.
In late 2025, a Jefferson County judge revoked the probation of Brandon Bell, 24, who had assaulted his then-pregnant girlfriend with a deadly weapon and continued contacting and harassing her while on probation, despite a court-ordered no-contact condition. Bell had been placed on five years of deferred adjudicated probation in April 2025 for a second-degree felony aggravated assault charge stemming from an earlier attack during the victim’s third pregnancy. Court records showed Bell had an “extensive” criminal history dating back to juvenile offenses. While prohibited from contact, Bell impregnated the victim again.
Probation officials testified that Bell repeatedly failed to comply with supervision, missed required check-ins, failed drug tests, and attempted to adulterate drug screenings.
The probation manager told the court Bell posed an ongoing danger, before West ruled he was “a menace to society” and sentenced him to 12 years in prison, although the court could have imposed up to 20 years.
In another high-profile Jefferson County case, Beaumont cardiologist Salem A. Salem, M.D., had his Texas medical license temporarily suspended in May 2024 after a disciplinary panel of the Texas Medical Board determined his continued practice posed a threat to public welfare after discovering he was subject to felony family violence charges. The board also found Salem submitted false information on a license renewal application.
Charged with felony assault in Jefferson County for allegedly “impeding the breathing” of his wife, Salem allegedly threatened to kill her in front of their children, according to court records tied to a Nov. 5, 2023, police report. The victim told the court she initially reported the assault while Salem was overseas because she felt safe while he was out of the country, but feared for herself and the children upon his return. She said the incident was captured on home security video and that Salem had previously displayed aggressive behavior, prompting her to request GPS monitoring for added protection. Salem’s defense attorney argued the conflict stemmed from a marital dissolution and objected to GPS monitoring, noting Salem was pursuing employment overseas. Despite the pending felony case, a judge later permitted Salem to leave the country to work abroad while the case was ongoing. The felony charge was dismissed in August 2024 with charges of assault causing bodily injury of a family member and two violations of bond protective orders referred to misdemeanor court, where County Court at Law No. 3 Judge Clint Woods approved the dismissal of all charges in December 2025.
While Texas law already allows enhanced penalties for repeat domestic violence offenses, the emergence of Tennessee’s public registry has renewed discussion about whether additional transparency and tracking tools could further strengthen prevention and accountability efforts.