Jul 22, 2016 2 min read

A Washington man was sentenced to two years probation on child pornography charges lodged by state investigators.

Washington County Judge Gary Gilman sentenced John D. Wheatley, 50, of South Main Street, to a year of probation on a charge of disseminating child pornography, and a second year on charges of possessing child pornography. He also ordered Wheatley to serve a year of probation on a charge of criminal use of a communication facility, concurrent with sentences on the other two charges.

Wheatley previously pleaded guilty, according to court records.

The state Attorney General’s Office charged him in January 2015, saying agents began investigating him the previous October after they downloaded images from a file that was publicly available. Investigators said they found images of child pornography on his computer.

Wheatley, at one point, told investigators he “believed that the content on his computer was not illegal for the images that were saved and did not depict children naked or in a sexual position,” court documents said.

Gilman also stipulated the county Adult Probation Office can review Wheatley’s smartphone at officers’ discretion.

Wheatley must register as a tier II sex offender. He is not permitted to have a computer while he is on probation.

Gilman also ordered him to perform 20 hours of community service – not at his church – during the first year of the sentence.