July law changes will empower DA, domestic violence victims

Starting July 1, the threshold for stricter DUI punishments will be lower in Tennessee.

That won’t mean much for the average citizen, but for Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond, it’s another arrow in the quiver in the fight against crime.

“The law has always been that if an individual comes back with a blood alcohol content above 0.2%, the mandatory minimum length of time that person serves increases from 48 hours to seven days,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon, June 25. That increased penalty is intended to create harsher consequences for people who break the law by a greater degree.

Now, he said, the state is reducing the threshold to 0.15%.

Victims

The change won’t affect local law enforcement — 0.08% will still be the baseline for legal intoxication — but reducing the threshold for stricter punishments opens up more cases for harsher penalties. Desmond doesn’t expect changes right away, but he hopes the modification will make people think twice before getting behind the wheel.

“This will affect a very small percentage of people in the community,” he said, “But it’s a population that poses a risk to the community because impaired driving affects the most random victims. People who are just out doing their business can be affected for the rest of their lives.”

Impaired driving, he said, affects victims at random. And while not every incident leads to a crash, Blount County law enforcement dealt with 295 DUI cases last year, according to the Tennessee National Incident Based Reporting System.

In April of 2023, an alleged intoxicated driver struck and killed a motorcyclist on Sevierville Road. In February, law enforcement charged a couple with driving while intoxicated after they allegedly sent three people — including two children — to the hospital.

In May , Blount County Sheriff’s deputies charged a Maryville man with killing one and sending two others to the hospital in a DUI crash on Sevierville Road.

“When you have people committing dangerous crimes on the public roadway, everyone is in danger,” Desmond said.

Domestics

Also going into effect at the start of the month is a new policy that will make GPS monitors a more common bond term for people charged with domestic assault. The idea, Desmond said, is to allow victims some peace of mind.

Under the new policy, suspects charged with domestic violence will be placed under GPS surveillance unless a magistrate determines it’s unnecessary.

“As long as they’re under that bond condition, if they were to commit a crime, we would know where they are,” Desmond said.

Through the county’s current GPS provider, victims can sign up for proximity alerts through an app on their phone, meaning they get a notification if the suspect approaches places like their home or workplace. That same notification would also go to law enforcement.

Removing the monitor is also a criminal offense.