Published: November 06, 2009 04:48 pm      

Stumbo says Amanda's Bill might have given her fighting chance

FRANKFORT — House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said Friday his proposed legislation to place those accused of domestic violence to be placed under electronic monitoring might have prevented the death of Amanda Ross.

Ross, 29, died Sept. 11 of gun shot wounds outsider her Lexington townhouse. Her former fiancé, former legislator and one-time candidate for governor, Steve Nunn, was arrested in connection with the case. He has been charged but has not yet been indicted. Last spring Nunn was placed under a domestic violence order after Ross accused him of hitting her several times in the face.

“It would at least have given Amanda Ross the opportunity to use a gun she had,” Stumbo said. "it would give victims what I'd call a fighting chance."

Stumbo is calling his legislation the Amanda Bill. It would allow judges to require those who pose a serious threat to their partners to wear an electronic ankle bracelet which would allow authorities to track his or her movements and location. If the victim chose to carry a companion device, he or she might also be warned when the alleged abuser came within 500 feet.

Stumbo said about 15 other states have similar programs and Lexington uses the devices to monitor probation and parole. He and Fayette County Corrections Director Ron Bishop told the Judiciary Committee the cost would be between $7 and 8$ for those required to wear them and another $5 for those alleged victims who chose to carry the warning device.

That’s a concern for counties who will pay the cost, said Shellie Hampton, director of Government Relations for the Kentucky Association of Counties.

“Who’s going to pay for the indigent suspects because many of them are,” she said.

Stumbo has previously said vendors would be asked to factor in the cost of providing the devices for those who haven’t the money to pay for them. But he said Friday it would actually save the state money in the long run.

It costs about $60 a day to house a prisoner, Stumbo said, and the average cost of a capital murder trial is about $185,000. And the program as used in Fayette County, he said, is “self-sustaining.”

But most importantly, Stumbo said, the program saves lives. In the states where it has been fully implemented, he said, “There has not been one single homicide as of this morning.”

“So we have a remedy that we know works, and I think the message to victims is that help is on the way,” Stumbo added.

He said he hopes the bill can be signed into law by February.

Penalties for tampering with the device would be a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense (punishable by up to a year in jail and a maximum fine of $500) and a Class D felony for subsequent offenses (one to five years in jail and a maximum $10,000 fine).

If a person wearing the device gets within a proscribed distance of the other party, an alarm sounds to warn the person wearing it and authorities are also alerted by computer. If the other party has the warning device, she too receives a signal.

Rep. Stan Lee, R-Lexington, asked if judges might not be tempted to require the devices “almost automatically” in every case. But Stumbo said he expects only about 15 percent of those placed under a DVO would likely be required to wear the bracelets. His bill would provide an assessment form for judges to indicate those most likely to commit violence against their accusers.

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.