The family of Shandle Riley, a Tennessee woman who was forcibly “baptized” by law enforcement officials, is going to receive $100,000 from Hamilton County after reaching a settlement over a lawsuit the victim filed in October 2019.
The incident occurred when Riley was stopped while driving by two former deputies on suspicion of methamphetamine possession. One of the officials, Daniel Wilkey, scared the woman with repercussions after finding traces of marijuana on the vehicle but offered her an unexpected way out: she would only have to let the cop drag her to a nearby lake for a “baptism,” and she could get off scot-free.
Riley argued in her lawsuit that she was deprived of her rights and that the cop also took advantage of his position of power to intimidate her and grope her breasts, buttocks, and crotch, so she asked for $11 million in punitive damages.
