The District Attorney General is an elected public official serving the
people of the 7th Judicial District as the senior law enforcement officer of the District. The role of this position is to be a safeguard of the government, an advocate for the rights of the people, and the guardian of public safety.
The DAG is required to vigorously prosecute crimes, but more importantly, to work to prevent them. In this process the DAG is expected to protect the innocent and assist the victims of crime. This requires that the DAG protect and preserve the public welfare and the safety of all citizens, while not imparing either.
The Mission of the Office of District Attorney General
The mission of the Office of District Attorney General is to promote justice and protect the citizens of this District by aggressively and fairly prosecuting those persons who violate the laws of the State of Tennessee within the 7th Judicial District.
Consistent with this mission, the Office of District Attorney General performs the following tasks:
- Prosecute all state criminal offenses in the Criminal and General Sessions Courts in Anderson County;
- Represent the State and draft and prepare indictments and presentments to the Grand Jury of Anderson County;
- Prosecute all criminal indictments returned by the Grand Jury in the District Court;
- Advise and assist those persons who have been victims of crime;
- Work closely with local, State and other law
enforcement agencies prosecuting criminal violations;
- Support activities and programs that promote the best and
safest communities possible for the citizens of the District.
The Professional Staff of the Office of District Attorney General
The District Attorney General for the 7th Judicial District is David S. Clark. Assistant Attorneys General include John Maddox and Sam Lee. Their main duties are litigation at the circuit court level, grand jury presentation, and general sessions prosecution. The Criminal Investigators are Audra Gipson and Becky Rodd. Becky is also responsible for the Domestic Violence Prevention program and supervises two assistant Victim/Witness Coordinators as a part of that program.
The Victim/Witness Coordinator program, one of the best in the State,
maintains contact with victims and assists them with the logistical problems related to the criminal justice process, and informs them of their rights and entitlements
under State programs such as Victim's Compensation. Debbie Hatmaker leads this program.
