Hinkle v. White, No. 14-2254 (7th Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CaseIn 2010, while Hinkle was finishing his elected term as Sheriff of Wayne County, his 14-year-old step-daughter accused him of sexually abusing her while helping her apply chigger medicine. A Charleston police officer interviewed the girl and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services notified state police. White, a state police investigator, interviewed the step-daughter and she repeated her claim. Her sister (another stepdaughter) said that Hinkle had also helped her apply chigger medication and that it was nonsexual. She said she thought her sister was lying because Hinkle and her mom were too strict. Hinkle denied the allegation. The step-daughter later recanted her claim of sexual abuse several times. A prosecutor declined to press charges, but the accusations became well-known in the community. White talked to a lot of people with whom he had no business sharing details of the investigation. The rumors grew to include a story that Hinkle was an arsonist. Hinkle filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, against White and his supervisor, alleging denial of his right to liberty in the occupation of his choice without due process of law. The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of the defendants, finding that Hinkle had not established a protected liberty interest.
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