COEUR D'ALENE - Michael Anthony Wheeler, 21, of Troutdale, Oregon, was sentenced yesterday to 144 months in prison followed by seven years of supervised release for sexual abuse of a minor, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. United Stated District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Wheeler to undergo treatment for sexual deviancy, and register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
In his guilty plea, Wheeler admitted that while he lived in Lapwai, Idaho, he engaged in sexual acts with someone who could not consent because she was incapable of appraising the nature of the conduct. Wheeler is an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe and the offense happened within the boundaries of the Nez Perce Indian reservation. Wheeler was arrested in Oregon and appeared in United States District Court in Coeur d’Alene on Oct. 31, 2013. He pled guilty on Jan. 30, 2014.
United States Attorney, Wendy J. Olson commended the work of Nez Perce Tribal Police, Lapwai School District, and the FBI in bringing Wheeler to justice. “My office takes seriously our responsibility to prosecute such crimes on the reservation. It is only with cooperative efforts of all those involved with children that we can keep our children safe," said Olson.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
