CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A Tennessee sheriff's deputy has been indicted on 44 counts including rape, sexual battery, oppression and extortion.
Hamilton County Deputy Daniel Wilkey is accused in four lawsuits of misconduct during traffic stops, including an illegal drug search, the groping of girls and a forced baptism.
Sheriff Jim Hammond told news outlets he was notified on Tuesday that a grand jury had indicted the 26-year-old officer, who has been on paid leave since July.
Wilkey was arrested and taken to the Hamilton County jail.
In October, Shandle Marie Riley sued Hamilton County and deputies Jacob Goforth and Daniel Wilkey for $11 million.
Riley says Wilkey groped her during a Feb. 6 traffic stop, and found a single marijuana cigarette in her car. Then he offered to keep her from jail if she let him baptize her.
The lawsuit says Wilkey escorted her to Soddy Lake and stripped down to his underwear, while she refused to take off her clothes, and Goforth witnessed the ritual as Wilkey dunked Riley beneath the water.
