Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Wiley drowned in the French Broad River while in pursuit of two men who had just escaped his custody. He had arrested the two men for illegally manufacturing whiskey. After escaping, the two men swam across the river and Deputy Wiley attempted to follow them but drowned. His body was found four days later. The suspects he was chasing were never apprehended.
Deputy Wiley had served with the Cocke County Sheriff's Department for 8 months.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and 3 children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-D28721D1- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew George. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Wiley served with the Cocke County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Newport community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Wiley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff George Leon Wiley is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Cocke County Sheriff's Dept., 2 of 9 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 22.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George Leon Wiley's cause is highlighted.
How George Leon Wiley Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. George Leon Wiley is highlighted in May.
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from Cocke County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
