Travis Lampley wins Rutherford County Juvenile Court judge race
Rutherford County Republican Juvenile Court nominee Travis Lampley won with 15,656 votes Thursday.
“What a distinct honor to be elected by this community of ours that I deeply love," Lampley said in a statement emailed to The Daily News Journal. ""Please accept my sincerest gratitude for the opportunity to be your Juvenile Court judge."
Independent Andrae Crismon had 10,537 votes, according to the Rutherford County Election Commission.
“I have reached out to congratulate Mr. Lampley on a hard-fought victory and wish him all the best,” Crismon said. “He has my prayers and support as he transitions to that role. I’m proud of my team. We ran a clean campaign. We worked hard, but ultimately fell short numerically of our goals.”
The final results on Election night will be official after the Rutherford County Election Commission meets at 5 p.m. Aug. 15 to certify the elections.
Lampley has served as an assistant district attorney. He will replace retiring Judge Donna Scott Davenport, who has served since winning the seat in 2000. She announced in January she'd finish her eight-year term by the end of August rather than seek re-election.
"My ultimate goal is to restore confidence in our courts, and it’s not lost on me that I’ve been entrusted with that responsibility," Lampley said in his statement. "I look forward to serving the people of Rutherford County and doing everything in my power to support and uphold the integrity of the family unit.”
Davenport's retirement decision followed the county losing an amended $5.1 million lawsuit settlement for illegally incarcerating children on minor charges. About 1,450 were eligible for a claim in the class-action case based on the statute of limitations. Thousands of others, however, may have been impacted dating back to 1993 when the county established Juvenile Detention services.
"Tennessee law strictly prohibits the pretrial incarceration of children" unless they are "being charged with a violent felony, a weapons offense, or a probation violation," according to the class-action lawsuit.
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The juvenile court judge earns an annual salary of $184,307. The new judge will preside over court starting in September while a new Juvenile Detention Board will oversee incarceration operations.
Detention staff led by Director Lynn Duke have been reporting to Judge Davenport, but the Rutherford County Commission decided to establish the board to oversee the detention services for children.
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This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Lampley wins Rutherford Juvenile Court judge race
