Fourteen minors accused of crimes in Hamilton County had their cases moved to adult court in 2023, according to the district attorney's office.
The defendants range from 14 years old to 18 at the time their cases were transferred, a news release said Thursday.
In Tennessee, the more serious the charge, the younger a defendant can be transferred. Children under the age of 14 can have their cases moved to adult court if they include charges of murder or attempted murder. Once defendants are convicted in adult court, any charges they face after that will be heard in adult court, according to Tennessee law.
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"Juveniles do not have an unlimited number of 'second chances,'" Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said in the release. "There will always come a time when my office says enough is enough."
A Juvenile Court judge makes the call whether to send a case to adult court, based on factors including the seriousness of the crime. These 14 cases were transferred by Judge Rob Philyaw, who presides over Hamilton County Juvenile Court, the release said.
Wamp supported a bill proposed earlier this year that would have sent minors facing certain serious charges straight to adult court. Philyaw said the bill had issues and would make it harder for young people charged with crimes to turn their lives around.
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Wamp said she hopes sending juvenile cases to adult court sends a strong message to minors in Hamilton County.
"As we continue to see an increase in juveniles committing serious offenses, including crimes involving firearms, we will work to ensure these offenders are punished appropriately," she said in Thursday's release.
In February, Wamp said she requested five teenagers, ages 14 to 16, have their cases sent to adult court on charges related to two carjackings. A sixth defendant, a 13-year-old, did not qualify for a transfer.
"We are in a place in Hamilton County where we have got to hold juveniles accountable, and unfortunately, some are just going to have to be the example," Wamp said.
— Compiled by Ellen Gerst
Staff Photo by Ellen Gerst / Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp speaks to reporters about juvenile crime and recent carjackings in Chattanooga at a news conference in February.