Mission Statement

The primary mission of the Office of the District Attorney General for the 13th Judicial District is to hold criminal offenders accountable. Our office pursues the guilty and at the same time protects the innocent. We safeguard the public welfare and safety of our citizens by discerning the true facts of every case with honesty and humility.

The Office of the District Attorney General for the 13th Judicial District represents the State of Tennessee in all criminal cases that occur within the seven counties that make up the Judicial District.

The 13th Judicial District includes Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Pickett, Putnam, Overton and White Counties.

The position of District Attorney General was created by the Tennessee Constitution and provides that each District Attorney shall be elected by the voters within their judicial district and shall serve an eight-year term. The state is now divided into thirty-two judicial districts each with judges, district attorneys and public defenders to administer the criminal justice system.

The Office is presently organized into two divisions: the Criminal Division and the Child Support Enforcement Division.

Criminal Division

In the Criminal Division, prosecutors appear on behalf of the State of Tennessee to prosecute all misdemeanor and felony criminal charges brought in Juvenile Court, the General Sessions Courts, the Grand Jury, and the Criminal Courts of the District. The Office also has prosecution units of lawyers within the Criminal Division who have specialized skills and training in such areas as child physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence and impaired driving vehicular crimes.

Most criminal cases in the District are initiated as a result of investigations conducted by and arrests made by the Police Departments, Sheriff’s Offices, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office or the Tennessee Tech University Police Department. The District Attorney’s Office does have Criminal Investigators on staff who also investigate criminal matters or assist other agencies in their investigations. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for determining whether there is enough evidence to prosecute persons accused of crimes. Assistant District Attorneys appear in the various General Sessions and Criminal Courts where such cases are tried before a judge or a jury or are resolved upon guilty pleas. In addition to courtroom duties, prosecutors review citizen complaints about alleged criminal activity, consult with law enforcement agencies about on-going investigations, and provide legal advice to the police and other elected officials on criminal law matters.

Child Support Enforcement

The Child Support Enforcement Division is tasked with the establishment and enforcement of child support obligations. The Child Support Division is staffed with attorneys, investigators and child support specialists to accomplish this task. This function is undertaken by contractual agreement with the Tennessee Department of Human Resources.