NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Lawmakers and advocacy groups descended upon the Tennessee State Capitol Tuesday for the beginning of the 114th legislative session. Though lawmakers started gearing up to debate the usual issues, for four women, they hope their advocacy can change the future for some crime victims.
Bills on immigration, abortion, education, healthcare and more are expected to make it on the agenda this year. However, four women have their eyes set on a bill that could change the standard for women pressing criminal charges in the future.
Those four women stood on the Capitol’s front steps Tuesday, each one with a similar story dating back to early 2024. One women found a folder with explicit videos of herself on the computer of a man she had been seeing. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), the woman was unaware a camera had even been in the room until she found a camera concealed as an alarm clock recording her without consent.
That incident led to the arrest of Matthew Vollmer, who was charged with eight counts of unlawful photography. Three other women later came forward with the same story.
“We are hoping that this sets the point that this is a big crime and you will have a big punishment because this could follow us forever and this can follow him forever as well,” alleged victim Brook Farrell told News 2.
They’re hoping a bill would extend the statute of limitations for future victims, giving them up to one year after the discovery of content like this to press charges instead of one year after the creation of the content. In addition, they expressed hope to focus on unlawful photography. As of publication, the crime is a misdemeanor in Tennessee; if the bill passes, it would become a felony. The law would also close possible loopholes in similar cases.
“What worries me about this case is you don’t know what he has done with this information or what he’s going to do with it,” Representative Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville) told News 2. “You just never know and that’s the part that we have not really figured out because the way that we make laws here in Tennessee — they’re more physical laws. We have not adapted our laws to technology and we have to be forward-thinking about things like this, [which] can happen over and over.”
The group of women pushing for this bill has hoped to pass it before Vollmer’s scheduled criminal hearing in March. These women also have a civil case pending against Vollmer set to be resolved later in 2025.
