A landlord from Silver Lake has been sentenced to nearly six years for child molestation after reportedly asking his tenant if he could have sex with the man's teen.
Brian James Wheeler, 62, was sentenced last week to 68 months in a Washington state prison, and a lifetime of community custody.
He pleaded guilty on Jan. 2.
According to court documents, Wheeler rented rooms at a home he has been living in for the past 30-plus years.
The victim's father, a recent tenant, reported to the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office on May 11 that Wheeler disclosed his desire to sleep with the man's teen.
The teen later admitted that Wheeler had touched the youth inappropriately multiple times when younger.
Each encounter typically involved Wheeler luring the victim into a private room, the report states. The victim said one assault included another child.
During a July 24 interview with detectives, Wheeler admitted touching the victim's genitals "on a few occasions," as well as having the victim and another child touch his genitals.
Wheeler explained in a January pre-sentence investigation interview that he did not have locks on his bathroom or bedroom doors, and the kids would often walk in on him when showering or touching himself.
"I believe (the victim) forced me into doing it," he said in the interview, adding that he is "scared to death about going to prison."
Court records show Wheeler had to be separated from other jail inmates after discussing his charges, leading staff to place him in segregated housing.
