Opinion ID: 1763868
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Richard Wheeler

Text: Richard Wheeler was born in 1947. Wheeler has a history of sexually violent behavior, usually involving children. In 1967, Wheeler was charged with sodomy for allegedly molesting his nine-year-old male cousin and was admitted to Fulton State Hospital. Four years later, in 1971, he was charged with molesting a minor child, a four-year-old female who lived in his neighborhood, and was sentenced to one year in jail. In 1981, Wheeler was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse of an adult woman and was sentenced to two years in prison with five years probation. Wheeler's wife subsequently filed for dissolution of marriage, asserting as a basis that Wheeler sexually abused their son. In 1996, Wheeler pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual misconduct involving an eleven-year-old boy and received two years probation. A year later, in April 1997, Wheeler was convicted of first-degree statutory sodomy involving a four-year-old boy and was sentenced to ten years. During this period of incarceration, Wheeler continually refused sex offender treatment and continued to engage in sexually offending behaviors. Prior to his release, the psychologist for the department of corrections conducted an end of confinement review to determine if Wheeler met the definition of a sexually violent predator. During the review process, the psychologist requested and received information from the attorney general. After determining that Wheeler may meet the criteria, she sent notice to the attorney general, and he filed a petition for commitment. At the probable cause hearing, Wheeler filed a motion to dismiss based on the state's failure to strictly comply with the statutory procedure in section 632.483.1 because the psychologist contacted the attorney general prior to completing the end of confinement review. The court overruled the motion and ordered a psychiatric evaluation. Prior to trial, Wheeler filed a motion to declare the 2006 amendment to section 632.495 unconstitutional because it reduced the burden of proof from beyond a reasonable doubt to clear and convincing evidence. The court overruled the motion and a bench trial was held. The court found that Wheeler met the definition of a sexually violent predator and ordered commitment.