A Tennessee grandmother has filed a lawsuit against Knox County, its sheriff, and four deputies, claiming her arrest was staged for the reality television program On Patrol: Live.
Attorneys for Donna Dillon say the Knox County Sheriff's Department arrested her in June 2025 on a 2022 misdemeanor assault warrant.
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The former neighbor involved chose not to pursue the case, and charges were later dropped.
Dillon alleges deputies used excessive force when handcuffing her in front of her 17-year-old son.
She was then left alone in a patrol vehicle for hours, causing persistent pain to a shoulder that had recently undergone surgery.
After the incident, the department informed Dillon that the deputy who left her in the car was suspended for three days for keeping her confined for an extended period.
Dillon expressed distress over the encounter outside her home. "They were so ugly to me," she said.
"It was so obvious that it was just for fame. It wasn't for justice."
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The publicized arrest has affected her personal life and emotional well-being. "I've always just been a baseball mom, everybody's grandmother," she said.
"It's affected our family. I was embarrassed to go out in public."
Dillon emphasized the loss of security she felt. "It's just taken away all my sense of trust and security," she told CNN.
"I just want accountability."
About a week before the lawsuit, the Knox County Sheriff's Department announced it would end its participation in On Patrol: Live without citing a reason.
Representatives for the show said the arrest footage never aired and there are no plans to broadcast it.
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County officials have until early September to respond to the lawsuit.
