Wiler receives ten years for sexual abuse of a minor

From Jeremy D. Wells

Carter County Times

The family of a young woman who was sexually abused by a youth leader at her church agreed Monday afternoon to accept the terms of a settlement for her abuser, but not before emphasizing the harm he caused. The family also said their motivation for accepting the settlement was to spare the young woman the additional trauma of testifying before a jury.

Shandon Bradley Wiler, 26, pleaded guilty to first-degree sodomy, soliciting or encouraging the abuse of a minor by electronic means and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. As part of the settlement, four other counts of first-degree sexual abuse were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea to the other counts.

Judge Rebecca Phillips sentenced Wiler to 10 years on the sodomy charge and five years on each of the other three charges under the terms of the deal. Those sentences will all run concurrently, meaning Wiler will effectively serve 10 years and could be eligible for parole after eight and a half years. Phillips emphasized that because of the nature of his offense, he must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence and complete sex offender treatment before he is eligible for conditional release. He will also have to register as a sex offender after his release.

However, at least one family member said they will file a motion to have Wiler serve the remainder of his sentence for manslaughter, a charge related to the car crash that killed an Ohio woman in 2019.

A man who identified himself as the victim’s grandfather tearfully thanked authorities for their help and then noted how much his granddaughter had changed in the past two years.
“She is devastated,” he told Wiler, who was a youth leader at the family’s former church, the Stinson Church of Christ. “She is now wondering if there is a God and why he allowed this to happen.”

The grandfather told Wiler he wanted to make sure he spent as much time behind bars as possible, citing his conditional release in the 2019 involuntary manslaughter case and that he would appeal to the Ohio court. The grandfather also told Wiler he did not believe his granddaughter was the only victim, but that others were too traumatized to come forward.

He also noted that he has spoken to his elected officials, such as Senator Robin Webb, and inquired about the possibility of a law requiring that anyone working with youth in a church setting undergo a criminal background check. He also pointed to a second case involving a youth pastor from the same church – Upenyu Gogo was arrested nine months after Wilder when police caught him in a vehicle with an unclothed minor and charged him with third-degree sodomy and procuring or encouraging the abuse of a minor by electronic means, among other charges.

“You mention the cost,” said the grandfather. “But it is a small price to pay to prevent this.”

The victim’s grandmother stated that her granddaughter had episodes of self-harm (although the grandfather noted in his comments that these episodes were improving) and that she takes medication for anxiety, night terrors, and other problems related to the abuse.

The victim’s parents also turned to Wiler and had to hold back their tears during their statements.

“I never thought you were a child molester,” the father said, pointing out that Bradley, as Wiler was called to them, had left lifelong emotional scars on his daughter.

The victim’s mother, however, was more direct.

“There is no justification for your evil actions,” she told Wiler. “You abused your position of trust … to exploit children.”

“Unfortunately, you will be released one day,” she continued, telling Wiler that she did not believe there was any chance of redemption and that she believed he should never be allowed to have contact with children again – not even his own.

She also pointed out that the family’s current church requires a background check on all individuals who work with youth.

Although the parents and grandparents identified themselves in court, it is not customary for the Carter County Times to publicly release the identities of child crime victims. Identifying the parents and grandparents in this case could lead to the revelation of the victim’s identity, so we have identified them solely based on their relationship to the child.

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