By SYDNEY KENT
A man who has committed repeated sex crimes against children was sentenced to 26 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections last week.
Roger Wayne Wiles, 35, Fort Wayne, pleaded guilty to one count of Child Solicitation, a Level 6 felony, in the Wells Circuit Court in March. He was sentenced to 12 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections under this charge with six years suspended. The court ordered an additional 14 years after he was identified as a habitual offender.
The charges stem from a sting carried out in September by Predator Catchers Indianapolis, a small nonprofit with volunteers who pose as teenagers in an attempt to locate and report child predators. The group then live streams the “catch” as the subject arrives to meet the “child” for sex.
According to court documents, Wiles allegedly sent who he believed to be a 13-year-old boy photos of his naked body and requested nude photos from the child. Wiles also admitted he had served time for similar conduct with an 11-year-old victim.
Prosecutor Colin Andrews noted Wiles’ criminal history, which spans many years and several states despite his age. The state requested a maximum sentence of 22 years under the habitual offender charge.
“This person is a danger to society,” Andrews argued. “One can’t conclude that the defendant won’t continue to commit crimes against children. If there were a child on the other end of this, we would be in a Level 1 felony situation. He can’t be punished for something he didn’t do, but he did – not long ago.”
Cory Spreen, Wiles’s public defender, took issue with the argument that a child could have potentially experienced abuse.
“I don’t think this court has any business playing what-ifs at sentencing at a level 4 felony,” Spreen noted the crime committed was a thought and intention crime that did not affect a physical victim.
Spreen pointed out Wiles is only 35 years old and will be a free person again, even if the judge were to order a maximum sentence. He asked the court if Wiles deserved to be “locked in a cage” for the rest of his life.
Wiles was convicted of attempted possession of child pornography, a Class D felony, in 2013. Less than two months after he was sentenced, Wiles was charged with two counts of Child Molesting, a Level 1 felony, and two counts of Child Molesting, a Class B felony and subsequently sentenced to 12 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections with 6 years suspended in May of 2014. In 2017, Wiles failed to register as a sex offender. He was charged with a level 6 felony for the crime and his previous suspended sentence of six years was then revoked.
Judge Kenton Kiracofe said Wiles’s criminal history did not give the court much belief he intended to change his conduct.
“The history is concerning,” Kiracofe explained. “Mr. Spreen makes an excellent point. Even if I give you the maximum sentence, you are going to be at an age where you can act on this and continue to be a danger to society.”
Spreen also said he put stock in the letter Wiles read to the court, which recounted years of recurrent childhood trauma. The trauma included Wiles’ experience as a child when he allegedly witnessed his mother shooting his abuser in front of him. Wiles explained the series of events leading up to this charge. He included being “refused sex” as one of his reasons.
Kiracofe pointed out Wiles was romantically involved with multiple people when the crime occurred and questioned if Wiles was “past the point” of offering services in hopes of reducing the likelihood of reoffending.
Wiles requested additional services in place of more prison time and stated he feared he would recommit the crime if he did not receive help. He also admitted he chose not to attend a counseling session scheduled on the same day he arranged to meet who he believed to be a 13-year-old child.
Wiles is required to continue to register as a violent sexual offender for the rest of his life. He was also ordered to complete three years of probation.
sydney@news-banner.com
