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Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11

Former Hamilton County Deputy Wilkey appeals federal judge’s decision

Staff Photo / Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Wilkey, 26, sits in Judge Barry Steelman's courtroom in 2019. A new court date was set for the lawman facing 44 criminal charges.
Staff Photo / Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Wilkey, 26, sits in Judge Barry Steelman's courtroom in 2019. A new court date was set for the lawman facing 44 criminal charges. Staff Photo / Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Wilkey, 26, sits in Judge Barry Steelman's courtroom in 2019. A new court date was set for the lawman facing 44 criminal charges.

Former Hamilton County Deputy Daniel Wilkey has filed two appeals with the U.S. District Court in Chattanooga following the recent decision to allow some parts of the federal lawsuits against him to go forward.

The Thursday filings are in relation to the cases filed against him on behalf of Bailey White, Shandle Riley‘s daughter and estate administrator, and James Mitchell.

Last month, McDonough granted parts of the cases of Riley, the woman Wilkey allegedly baptized against her will during a traffic stop, and Mitchell, on whom Wilkey allegedly performed a body-cavity search during another traffic stop. Footage of Wilkey’s search of Mitchell can be seen on dashcam footage.

In April 2022, Riley was found unresponsive by her landlord at a residence on Log Cabin Road in the Soddy-Daisy area. “Responding deputies excused themselves from the scene, and it was taken over by agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation,” according to a news release from the agency.

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