Local Law enforcement informed about GPS monitoring devices

Local Law enforcement informed about GPS monitoring devices

By Patty Blackburn

Governor Bill Lee signed into law on July 1, 2024, a new bill which requires some domestic violence offenders to wear a GPS monitoring device. This is to protect domestic violence survivors and children and the law is the first of its kind in the U.S.

This bill transpired due to Alex Youn’s actions and perseverance. His mother, Debbie, and sister, Marie, were shot and killed by Marie’s estranged husband, Shaun Varsos. On March 7, 2021, Marie was strangled by Varsos and she woke up to him pointing a gun at her. He told her if she went to the police that he would kill her. She did file a report and had to wait nearly six hours before an officer took her statement. Varsos was charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor false imprisonment. He couldn’t be found, so Marie filed an order of protection. He was later arrested two days later and released on a $30,000 bond, six hours later.

Varsos was mistakenly released from jail early and Marie was not notified. On April 12, 2021, Varsos, with a shotgun, waited across from their home then chased the two women. They ran in between homes, frantically calling 911. Marie carried a firearm for her safety and she shot Varsos several times before he killed her and her mother.

Youn advocated for laws hoping to get new ones passed to protect those from violence. He truly believed that if the Varsos had worn a GPS monitoring device, his mother and sister would still be alive today.

The new law, Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act, states if an offender is accused of aggravated assault, where the victim is domestically abused, and the offender bonds out of jail, the offender is required to wear a GPS monitoring device if one of these three methods of force are used: serious bodily injury, use of a weapon, or strangulation.

Through the GPS monitoring device, the victim will be warned when the offender is near. A monitoring center will notify dispatch, who will inform law enforcement. If the offender is allowed to make bail but cannot afford to pay for this device, the offender will stay in jail. The offender is also required to pay for the victim’s monitoring device, but in the future, funds may possibly be granted for such devices if the perpetrator cannot afford them.

Law enforcement from the city and county in this area met on Aug. 28 to discuss the necessity of the GPS monitoring devices and learn more about this technology. This new method of tracking such perpetrators is an excellent advancement in the fight against domestic violence. Time is of the essence in seeing that the Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act is carried out since domestic violence is prevalent in Marshall County and in the state of Tennessee.