New Hearing Set In Case Against Duke Droese On Sexual Exploitation of a Minor Charge

A new hearing has been set in the criminal case against WWE alumnus Mike “Duke” Droese on charges of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. As previously reported, a hearing had been set for “plea or trial selection” for August 27th in Warren County, Tennessee in the case. PWInsider reports that that hearing was delayed and will now take place on October 22nd.

If a plea is not reached by the hearing, the trial will be scheduled. As reported, Droese was indicted back in early May on the charge after he allegedly used a Coinbase account to try and purchase child pornography online.

A press release at the time noted that:

On April 21, 2024, Michael Droese used his Coinbase account to attempt to purchase child sexual assault material (child pornography) from the Dark Web. The transaction was flagged and terminated prior to the purchase being completed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation initially received the tip from Coinbase regarding Mr. Droese’s attempted purchase of child sexual assault material. It is largely unknown what actions the FBI took to initially investigate this matter. However, on March 19, 2025, Investigator Jason Walker with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department first received a tip from the FBI regarding Mr. Droese’s alleged criminal conduct. Investigator Walker immediately forwarded the information to me. March 19, 2025 also marks the first date any local or state law enforcement official had any knowledge of Mr. Droese’s alleged criminal conduct.”

If convicted, Droese faces a possible sentence of two to four years. Droese is currently out on a $10,000 bond.