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***Note from The Tennessee Conservative – this article posted here for informational purposes only.
Article by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square –
Gov. Bill Lee appointed an interim commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Correction, but who will take the helm of the department permanently will likely be up to the next governor.
Christopher Hansen, in charge of the department’s probation and parole operations, will serve as interim commissioner and maintain his current duties, Lee said in an announcement.
Lee’s office did not immediately respond to a question from The Center Square asking if Lee would make a permanent appointment before he leaves office in January.
Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada, who made $21,160 a month, or $253,920 annually, according to the Transparent Tennessee website, resigned on Oct. 3. His resignation was effective Friday. Strada was appointed by Lee in January 2023.
The Department of Correction has been under scrutiny since two failed executions and the escape of two prisoners from custody.
Christa Pike survived her execution on Sept. 30 and is now being treated in the infirmary ward at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville. She was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
The department also stopped the execution of Tony Carruthers in May because medical personnel could not find a vein. He is housed in the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Carruthers was convicted of murder in 1996 for the deaths of Marcellos Anderson, his mother, Delois Anderson and Frederick Tucker.
Convicted murderer Jacob Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Oct. 25. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Morley was last seen in Marion, Ill., on Tuesday. A $17,500 reward is being offered for information regarding his escape. The agency referred The Center Square to its social media pages when asked for an update on the investigation.
Just days before Morley’s escape, Gregory Lynn Redden, who was serving two sentences for aggravated robbery, walked away from a Nashville hospital where he was receiving treatment, according to the department. Redden was captured hours after his escape.
The Center Square was unsuccessful in obtaining an interview with Hansen prior to publication.
The Department of Correction Commissioner is appointed by the governor and does not require legislative approval. Two lawmakers told The Center Square that Strada’s appointment by Lee was questioned.
“But there’s nothing you can do,” Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, said in an interview. “It’s his decision.”
Republican state Rep. Jody Barrett of Dickson said Strada was a terrible hire.
“I think most Republican members of the Legislature, if they were being honest, would tell you that they questioned that decision at the time, but it’s just not something that is kosher for you to publicly question the governor who is a member of your party, whenever something like this happens,” Barrett said in an interview.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn has led a crowded field of gubernatorial candidates seeking to succeed Lee in January. She said Strada’s resignation was the “right thing to do” in a social media post.
“But it does not change the fact that we are going to make changes in people and processes at the Department of Correction, in order to ensure the Department fulfills its mission and responsibility to Tennesseans,” Blackburn said.
