Image Credit: Soddy Daisy Police Department & Google Maps
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Two former Soddy-Daisy law enforcement officers have filed a lawsuit against the city and police department members alleging that they were wrongfully fired following their report of potentially inappropriate behavior by another officer.
Jake Elrod and Eric Jenkins are suing the city of Soddy-Daisy, City Manager Burt Johnson, Police Chief Billy Petty, and former Police Chief Mike Sneed for alleged retaliation.
On April 30, Elrod and Jenkins both testified in a case against former Hamilton County paramedic Justin Whaley who has since been convicted of reckless vehicular homicide.
Immediately following their testimonies, both officers were placed on paid leave and were subsequently fired on July 31.
Events leading up to the terminations began in February 2023, when Jenkins received a report from a Soddy-Daisy resident, stating that another officer – Sgt. Jeremy Wright – had inappropriate relationships with minors. A subsequent investigation into the claim showed that, while Wright did share fantasies involving minors with a female via text message, there was no evidence of any actual contact ever taking place.
It was later determined, though, that the female had shared information with Wright regarding her own sexual encounters with minors. Wright failed to report those incidents, as required by law, and instead called her “lucky.”
Three months after the initial report, Elrod received a new complaint that Wright had shown nude photos of himself to a woman and her underage cousin while working out at Planet Fitness.
This information was shared with Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp, who determined at the time that there was no criminal charge to be issued.
Elrod continued to investigate since this was the second complaint involving Wright and a minor. Wright initially denied the claims but then told Jenkins that the nude photos did, in fact, exist.
When Jenkins shared this with Elrod, they took the information to Chief Mike Sneed. Elrod shared a final report in July 2023, stating that Wright had violated a “conduct off duty” policy and had also lied during the investigation.
Throughout the investigations and following the final report, no action was taken against Wright, who continued to have access to minors, including at schools.
Wright ended up as the lead investigator on the case against Whaley, who was accused of vehicular homicide after driving while intoxicated. Wright and Jenkins were both scheduled to testify, and Jenkins asked Sneed several times to make the report known to the courts. However, Sneed did not do so, and record of the investigation was not included as part of Wright’s personnel file.
Following the trial, Jenkins and Elrod disclosed the information to Wamp. Because Wright was deemed an unreliable witness because of his misconduct, Whaley was given a new trial.
Jenkins and Elrod were then fired for allegedly violating policies and breaking the chain of command. The city says the terminations were justified and plans to fight the lawsuit.
The officers are requesting back pay and benefits, along with $1 million in damages and a court-ordered injunction that would require the city to follow proper documentation procedures for all investigations in the future.
