Key Takeaways
- • Jonesboro Police Department fired former Cpl. Jeremy Wheelis on Aug. 5 for dishonesty about a sexual relationship with a woman whose cases he handled, according to records released Friday, Oct. 23, to NEA Report.
- • Internal investigators found 3,097 messages and seven voicemails between Wheelis and the woman, along with explicit exchanges and photographs that contradicted his repeated denials.
- • A separate allegation of criminal information database misuse was classified as unfounded, and investigators did not establish that Wheelis tipped off anyone about a search warrant.
- • JPD submitted a decertification request on Aug. 6; the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) voted in October to advance the case to a hearing, but that vote did not revoke his certification.
- • Wheelis declined a polygraph on his attorney's advice and had sought an Arkansas attorney general's opinion to block disclosure of the internal affairs file.
Summary
The Jonesboro Police Department fired former Cpl. Jeremy Wheelis on Aug. 5 for dishonesty regarding a relationship with a woman whose criminal cases he handled, according to internal affairs records released to NEA Report on Friday, Oct. 23. The department sustained a dishonesty finding, while an accusation of misusing the criminal information database was found unfounded. The file also documents concerns that the undisclosed relationship jeopardized a homicide investigation.
The investigation began after a confidential informant met with Capt. Scott Baker and Lt. Morshaydrick Racy on June 29. After the woman's arrest, investigators obtained information from her phone through a probation search waiver. Baker reported 3,097 messages between her and Wheelis, along with seven voicemails he left, including explicit exchanges and photographs. In a July 22 interview, Wheelis described the woman as an informant and said their interaction briefly became flirtatious before he backed away. Baker concluded the communications showed, at minimum, a romantic phone relationship and most probably a physical sexual relationship. Wheelis continued to deny sexual contact, stating in a quoted remark: "I didn't have sex with her."
Concerns had surfaced in January 2026, when Wheelis was the lead detective in a homicide investigation connected to the woman. He was removed from that case and later reassigned from the criminal investigation division to patrol. According to Baker, Wheelis also handled two active cases in which the woman was a victim, which he identified as a violation of criminal investigations policy 523.06. Racy wrote that the undisclosed relationship jeopardized the homicide case and that prosecutors raised concerns about Wheelis' potential testimony. The released records do not establish whether the case was dismissed.
On the database allegation, investigators confirmed Wheelis checked the woman and associates through the Arkansas Crime Information Center. After consulting ACIC about permissible warrant checks, Baker found no apparent improper or illegal use and classified the allegation as unfounded. Wheelis denied warning anyone before a search warrant; Racy reported the available evidence could neither support nor discredit the allegation because phone data did not cover the relevant dates. Baker wrote that he believed Wheelis' denial. Separately, investigators reviewed information Wheelis shared from a retail theft GroupMe account used by law enforcement and store loss prevention staff, which led another woman to be alerted she had been recorded stealing at Ulta. Wheelis acknowledged sending the woman money through Cash App.
Wheelis was placed on paid administrative leave July 13. After initially rescheduling, he declined a polygraph on his attorney's advice, questioning its reliability. Baker sustained the untruthfulness allegation and cited the refusal as a failure to cooperate. Chief Rick Elliott fired Wheelis after an Aug. 5 meeting, with sustained violations of the department's code of ethics, code of conduct and investigations policy. JPD submitted its decertification request Aug. 6. CLEST voted at its October meeting to advance the case to a hearing; the vote did not itself revoke certification. The released records note that CLEST's narrative lists July 13 as the termination date, while JPD's file establishes July 13 as the paid-leave date and Aug. 5 as the termination date. Before the release, Wheelis had sought an Arkansas attorney general's opinion to block disclosure.
The investigation began after a confidential informant met with Capt. Scott Baker and Lt. Morshaydrick Racy on June 29. After the woman's arrest, investigators obtained information from her phone through a probation search waiver. Baker reported 3,097 messages between her and Wheelis, along with seven voicemails he left, including explicit exchanges and photographs. In a July 22 interview, Wheelis described the woman as an informant and said their interaction briefly became flirtatious before he backed away. Baker concluded the communications showed, at minimum, a romantic phone relationship and most probably a physical sexual relationship. Wheelis continued to deny sexual contact, stating in a quoted remark: "I didn't have sex with her."
Concerns had surfaced in January 2026, when Wheelis was the lead detective in a homicide investigation connected to the woman. He was removed from that case and later reassigned from the criminal investigation division to patrol. According to Baker, Wheelis also handled two active cases in which the woman was a victim, which he identified as a violation of criminal investigations policy 523.06. Racy wrote that the undisclosed relationship jeopardized the homicide case and that prosecutors raised concerns about Wheelis' potential testimony. The released records do not establish whether the case was dismissed.
On the database allegation, investigators confirmed Wheelis checked the woman and associates through the Arkansas Crime Information Center. After consulting ACIC about permissible warrant checks, Baker found no apparent improper or illegal use and classified the allegation as unfounded. Wheelis denied warning anyone before a search warrant; Racy reported the available evidence could neither support nor discredit the allegation because phone data did not cover the relevant dates. Baker wrote that he believed Wheelis' denial. Separately, investigators reviewed information Wheelis shared from a retail theft GroupMe account used by law enforcement and store loss prevention staff, which led another woman to be alerted she had been recorded stealing at Ulta. Wheelis acknowledged sending the woman money through Cash App.
Wheelis was placed on paid administrative leave July 13. After initially rescheduling, he declined a polygraph on his attorney's advice, questioning its reliability. Baker sustained the untruthfulness allegation and cited the refusal as a failure to cooperate. Chief Rick Elliott fired Wheelis after an Aug. 5 meeting, with sustained violations of the department's code of ethics, code of conduct and investigations policy. JPD submitted its decertification request Aug. 6. CLEST voted at its October meeting to advance the case to a hearing; the vote did not itself revoke certification. The released records note that CLEST's narrative lists July 13 as the termination date, while JPD's file establishes July 13 as the paid-leave date and Aug. 5 as the termination date. Before the release, Wheelis had sought an Arkansas attorney general's opinion to block disclosure.
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