In Tennessee, former WWE wrestler Duke “The Dumpster” Droese has been charged with a major crime.
The 31st Judicial District’s District Attorney General, Chris Stanford, said in a news release on Monday that Droese, whose real name is Mike Droese, has been charged with one count of attempted aggravated sexual exploitation of a juvenile.
According to the authorities, Droese tried to buy child pornography on the dark web on April 21 by using a Coinbase account. The press release claims that before the transaction could be finalized, it was identified and stopped. Following the FBI’s notification, the Crimes Against Children Task Force of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was tasked with conducting an investigation.
Droese surrendered himself to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department after the investigation. After he posted a $10,000 bond, he was set free. On May 28, he will be arraigned.
Droese was employed by the district’s Adult Recovery Court Program (ARC) as a DUI Coordinator at the time of the alleged offense. After being indicted, he was promptly fired from the position, where he had been for a number of years.
Droese became well-known while competing in the WWE from 1994 to 1996 under the ring name Duke “The Dumpster” Droese. He had conflicts with well-known figures like a youthful Triple H and Jerry “The King” Lawler. He most recently appeared unexpectedly in a 2023 Battle Riot match in Major League Wrestling.
Droese has not yet commented publicly on the indictment. The legal process is still in progress.
