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1 month ago
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There has been a major development in the case of a notorious Tennessee sheriff who was filmed forcefully baptizing a woman in a lake to let her off with a ticket.
A proposed settlement has been reached in the case of former Hamilton County deputy Daniel Wilkey, who was filmed baptizing Shandle Riley in Soddy Lake as an alternative to issuing her a ticket in February 2019.
The family of Riley - who passed away in 2022 of an overdose - is set to receive $100,000 from Hamilton County, pending approval from the County Commissioners, News Channel 9 reported.
The event was captured on body camera footage by Wilkey's partner, Jacob Goforth. The footage came to light when Riley's attorney filed an $11 million lawsuit against Hamilton County in federal court.
Wilkey has also been sued in the past for conducting a forced anal cavity search on a man on the same day.
A proposed settlement has been reached in the case of a former Hamilton County deputy Daniel Wilkey, who was filmed baptizing a woman in Soddy Lake as an alternative to issuing her a ticket in February 2019
Riley's $11million lawsuit claims that Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Wilkey (left) told her that he 'felt the spirit' and was ordered by God to baptize her. She accuses his partner, Deputy Jacob Goforth (right) of failing to intervene or report the incident
According to the lawsuit, Wilkey allegedly offered to give Riley only a citation instead of arresting her for marijuana remnants found in her car if she agreed to be baptized. Riley later reported feeling 'horribly violated' by the experience.
Riley sued both the Hamilton County and deputies Jacob Goforth and Daniel Wilkey, claiming that she was deprived of her constitutionally protected rights to freedom of religion, to be free from injury or harm while in custody, and to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.
The lawsuit also lists counts of negligence, battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Wilkey and Goforth pulled over her vehicle at around 10pm at night on suspicion of methamphetamine possession as she arrived at a friend's house to visit her young child.
The lawsuit alleges that Wilkey proceeded to conduct a search by 'feeling through her clothes, her breasts, abdomen, buttocks, inner thighs and crotch.'
Riley says the deputy also requested that she reach under her shirt and pull out her bra.
The search concluded with the deputies discovering a single marijuana cigarette in Riley's 2016 Chrysler 300.
The traffic stop then took an unexpected turn when Wilkey allegedly asked Riley if she was 'saved' and believed in Jesus Christ.
According to the complaint, the deputy informed the woman that he 'felt the spirit' during the search, and that God was talking to him and wanted him to baptize Riley.
The deputy then allegedly instructed Riley to go to her friend's home and grab two towels for the baptism.
He then made Riley an offer, saying that he would let her off with a criminal citation instead of taking her to jail, and even put in a good word with a judge, if she let him baptize her, according to the court filing.
Riley went to get the towels and followed the deputy to Soddy Lake, where he proceeded to strip down to his underwear, while she refused to take off her clothes.
With Deputy Goforth acting as a 'witness,' Wilkey allegedly dunked the woman beneath the cold water by holding her by her neck and breasts.
Temperatures that night were in the 50s in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee.
The lawsuit says that after the 'baptism,' Riley was left shivering uncontrollably and feeling 'horribly violated.'
The family of Riley - who passed away in 2022 of an overdose - is set to receive $100,000 from Hamilton County, pending approval from the County Commissioners
Plaintiff's attorney Robin Flores told WRCB-TV that Deputy Goforth did nothing to stop his partner and was seen smirking at his client during the ordeal. He also allegedly failed to report the incident to his superiors after the fact.
Wilkey also faces an unrelated excessive force lawsuit seeking $17million, which was filed by a man claiming that the deputy and another colleague performed an inappropriate body cavity search in July 2019.
Wilkey faced numerous charges related to this incident and others, but all charges were subsequently dropped.
In court, he admitted to baptizing Riley but claimed she had requested it unprompted, expressing a desire to 'turn away from her life of drug abuse and crime.'
Tragically, Riley died of an overdose in April 2022, with one individual facing charges in connection with her death.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office initially moved to decertify Wilkey with Tennessee's POST Commission but later rescinded the request.
Sheriff Austin Garrett stated that Wilkey had not been employed by the HCSO since December 27, 2019, and was ineligible for re-hire.
This case is not the only legal matter involving Wilkey.
A lawsuit claims Tennessee Officer Daniel Wilkey forced an anal cavity search on James Mitchell on July 10
Wilkey was sued for the incident where he is seen on dashcam footage slamming James Myron Mitchell (pictured) on the hood of a patrol car, kneeing him in the stomach, and repeatedly pulling at his pants as a female companion watches on
HCSO deputy Bobby Brewer is the second cop seen on camera and is also being sued in the lawsuit where plaintiffs seek $2,000,000 in compensatory damages, and $15,000,000 punitive damages
This comes just a month after a Hamilton County Grand Jury cleared him in a separate lawsuit alleging an unauthorized strip search in 2019.
He was accused of conducting a forced anal cavity search on a motorist, according to a lawsuit.
Deputies Goforth and Wilkey are seen on dashcam footage slamming James Myron Mitchell, 41, on the hood of the patrol car, kneeing him in the stomach, and repeatedly pulling at his pants as a female companion watches on.
At one point Mitchell complains of hernia pain as his genitals are grabbed but the officers continued to treat him roughly and he is heard wailing when dragged out of the camera frame.
'Wilkey handcuffed James, and the individual Defendants took James to the front of one of their police vehicles,' the September 3 lawsuit states about the same officer from February's alleged baptizing incident.
'Wilkey then began to grab James' genitals. When James told Wilkey that James had an untreated and large hernia and that Wilkey's actions were causing James pain, Brewer and Wilkey jerked James' arms high above his back, and slammed James face-down onto the hot engine hood, causing injury to James.'
The brutal action takes place in the first five minutes of a one hour, 13 minutes clip shared online in July in the days after the incident.
Wilkey allegedly stripped down to his underwear on a brisk night in February and dunked Riley in Soddy Lake (pictured) after promising to let her off with a citation for pot possession
What appears to be Wilkey conducting an anal cavity search occurs around 10 minutes and 55 seconds of the clip. At one point the law enforcement officer appears to punch Mitchell on his rear end and yells, 'Hold still!'
'Wilkey and Brewer then beat James with fists, knees, and feet, slammed James to the ground, and continued their brutalization of James,' the filing continues.
'Wilkey and Brewer then removed James' pants and shoes, while still beating James. Wilkey and Brewer then forced James' face back onto the hot hood of the same police vehicle and continued to jerk his arms high above his back, and beat James.
'While Brewer continued to force James' face back onto the hot hood of the same police vehicle and jerk his arms high above his back Wilkey donned a set of gloves, pulled down James' underwear, and conducted an anal cavity search of James.'
While a judge dismissed a 44-count criminal indictment against Wilkey last year, some civil lawsuits against him remain active.
The proposed settlement is scheduled for a vote by Hamilton County Commissioners during their weekly meeting this Wednesday.
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