Christie Bowling urges formal investigation into DA’s office and judge over domestic-violence handling

Christie Bowling, a Clarksville resident, told the Montgomery County Commission during public comment that the county is facing a “serious problem with violence against women” and urged a formal investigation into how local prosecutors and the courts handle domestic-violence cases.

"Domestic violence is being treated as normal and acceptable by our judges and by our district attorney's office," Bowling said, citing recent incidents including an April 20 shooting on Samantha Drive and a separate fatal stabbing six days later. She said those incidents—and the way the system responded—show the county is not protecting victims.

Bowling cited Tennessee Code 39-13-111(C)(3) (addressing repeat domestic-assault convictions) and the recently enacted "Savannah's Law," which she said requires habitual offenders to be registered. She described a case involving her own assault last May and said the suspect, with out-of-county convictions she provided documentation for, received probation and restitution ($1,100) rather than jail time or a registration requirement she expected under the statutes she cited.

She also alleged courts are not granting emergency protective orders promptly, saying a judge on the bench has been scheduling hearings two weeks out and thus providing a window in which an abuser can harm a victim. Bowling named ADA Allen Thompson and asked commissioners to open a formal investigation into "misconduct and gross negligence by the district attorney's office" so the county can "begin to set a new standard."

The commission did not record a response from the district attorney's office or the court during the meeting. The chair moved on to the tourism presentation that followed the comment period.

Why it matters: Bowling framed her comments as both a personal account and a civic request for oversight of prosecutorial and judicial practices when state law, she said, appears not to be enforced. Her remarks highlight tension between public commenters' expectations for enforcement and the procedures followed in court and by prosecutors.

Next steps noted in the meeting: Bowling asked for a formal investigation; the transcript does not record any motion, staff assignment, or vote in response to that request.