Nashville Criminal Defense Lawyer for Vanderbilt Students and Their Families
Nashville Criminal Defense Lawyer & Former Prosecutor Kevin Kennedy. 615-205-7311. Call or text for a free consultation.
Start by Finding Out Exactly What Happened
A call saying your Vanderbilt student has been arrested can be alarming, especially when the parent lives outside Tennessee. The first priority is to identify the actual charge, whether the student is still in custody, the bond status, and the next Davidson County court date.
Do not rely solely on a short phone call from the student or friends who witnessed only part of the incident. Obtain the formal charge information and preserve any paperwork.
Where Is a Student Taken After a Nashville Arrest?
Davidson County arrestees generally enter the local booking system through the Downtown Detention Center. Release can depend on bond, Pretrial Services, holds, warrants, monitoring requirements, and the nature of the charge.
Parents should confirm custody through official Davidson County information and then determine what is legally required for release.
What Charges Can Nashville College Students Face?
DUI
Drug possession
Underage alcohol offenses
Public intoxication
Disorderly conduct
Assault
Domestic assault
Fake-ID or identification-related allegations
Theft
Weapons offenses
Each charge has different elements and potential consequences.
Could the Arrest Affect Vanderbilt Separately?
A criminal case and a university disciplinary matter are separate processes. Conduct that leads to an arrest can potentially create school-related consequences under applicable Vanderbilt policies even if the criminal case has not yet been resolved.
Students should be careful about making detailed written or recorded statements in any parallel process without understanding how those statements could affect the criminal case.
Should Parents Contact the Alleged Victim or Witnesses?
Usually, parents should not try to investigate by pressuring an alleged victim, roommate, classmate, or witness. Contact can create misunderstandings and, in some cases, interfere with bond conditions or the defense.
Instead, preserve names and contact information and allow counsel to determine the appropriate investigative steps.
What Evidence Should Be Saved?
Save texts, photographs, videos, rideshare records, receipts, location information, witness names, and any police or court paperwork. If the incident happened at a bar, apartment complex, parking garage, business, or other location with surveillance, identify the exact location quickly.
Private video can be overwritten.
Could Diversion Be Available?
Depending on the charge and the student's record, Tennessee diversion or another non-conviction resolution may be worth evaluating. Eligibility and availability depend on the specific offense, criminal history, prosecutor, court, and facts.
For a student, avoiding a conviction can be especially important because of future employment, graduate school, professional licensing, and background checks.
What Should Parents Do About the Court Date?
Make sure the student knows exactly when and where to appear. If the student will be away from Nashville for school breaks, internships, or summer, discuss scheduling and appearance requirements with counsel rather than assuming the date can be missed.
A failure to appear can lead to a warrant and create a second problem.
Talk With a Nashville Criminal Defense Lawyer
Kevin Kennedy is a Vanderbilt Law School graduate and former Davidson County prosecutor who now represents people charged with crimes in Nashville and throughout Middle Tennessee. Kevin Kennedy Law Firm can help families understand the criminal charge, court process, evidence, and possible resolutions.
Call Kevin Kennedy Law Firm at (615) 205-7311 to discuss your student's case.
See also the Nashville campus crime lawyer page for how college cases are defended.