Exclusive interview: Judge calls for mental health reform after death of local man

BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – A Bradley County judge is speaking out after the tragic death of a 27-year-old man who spent years battling severe mental illness.

Judge Clay Collins says the system failed Chase Scoggins, and without significant reform and more mental health resources, others could face the same fate.

In an exclusive interview with News 12, Judge Collins opened up about the moment he learned Scoggins had died alone in the woods near a Target store in Cleveland.

“I told the story of Chase Scoggins because when I learned that he had passed away tragically alone in the woods outside Target, it really struck a nerve with me,” Judge Collins said. “Chase was someone that I saw in my court over and over again. I see thousands of people every year, hundreds just today even, and Chase is someone I’ll remember the rest of my life because he was a sweet person. He was a kind person, but he had mental issues. He wasn’t like everyone else.”

Collins remembers Scoggins as kindhearted, often smiling through his struggles.

“He would say, ‘Judge, you’re doing a good job,’” Collins recalled. “And he’d be in custody all the time, and no one ever says that when they’re in custody, usually.”

Scoggins often spoke fondly of living in the woods, describing his unconventional lifestyle with pride.

“He’d say, ‘Judge, it’s awesome. I’ve got no complaints. I’m living in the woods, I’m swinging around trees like Tarzan.’”

But beneath the humor and optimism was a man in deep pain.

Scoggins battled severe mental illness and self-medicated through drug use.

Collins says Scoggins desperately needed help, but the system never gave him a real chance.

Despite multiple arrests and attempts at rehabilitation, Scoggins remained trapped in a cycle of jail time and homelessness.

Evaluations were delayed for months, and when they came, Collins says the reports often brushed over Scoggins’ condition.

“When I learned he had died, it was like, man, the whole system failed him because I saw him dozens of times over the last two years,” Collins said.

The judge’s post about Scoggins’ death went viral, now shared more than 80,000 times and viewed by over 25 million people nationwide.

Collins says the reaction shows how widespread the problem is and how many families are quietly watching loved ones fall through the cracks.

“Everyone sees a Chase Scoggins in their life, whether it’s a friend or a family member,” he said. “People know this is a huge problem, and society’s failing Chases.”

Collins says the problem extends far beyond the courtroom. It’s a national crisis rooted in a lack of proper treatment centers for those struggling with mental illness.

“We got rid of the institutions and said we don’t want to institutionalize people, but we are,” Collins said. “People like Chase are institutionalized to the streets and the jails and the prisons, and that’s their lives. They’re in an institution, and that’s not right.”

He points to Chattanooga’s Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute as an example of how under-resourced the system has become.

The facility serves 52 counties but has only 165 beds.

“Just today, I saw three people who really need to be somewhere like that,” Collins said. “You shouldn’t have to kill somebody before you get the help you need.”

The judge says he plans to use his platform to push lawmakers toward funding and rebuilding mental health institutions that provide real rehabilitation, not punishment.

“I think this case with Chase and his story has really given me a platform, and I’m going to be sharing as many stories like that as I can and pushing legislators and people to really take it serious,” he said.

For those wondering how they can help, Collins encourages people to get involved in their communities.

“Here in Bradley County, we have what’s called the Bradley Coalition, and it’s a group that helps put people in rehab,” he said. “We’ve put 150 people in rehabs just this year. They need funding, and they need volunteers. It’s going to take all of us to fix this.”

Collins says the outpouring of support gives him hope that Scoggins’ life and death will lead to real change.

“I’m hopeful for the first time in a long time that something is going to come from this,” he said. “We have the impetus to do it, and we have to do it for Chase and for the millions of people in America that are like him.”

Judge Collins says he’s no longer content to stay silent.

After a decade on the bench, he believes it’s time to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.

“As a judge, I’m supposed to kind of be quiet and judicial, and I’ve been that way for the last 10 years,” he said. “But I’m not going to do it anymore.”

Click here to read Judge Clay Collins’ full media statement.