Jacksonville man sentenced for online sexual corruption, luring of a minor in Snapchat case

Published 4:25 pm Monday, July 28, 2025

Anthony Wheeler, 39, was sentenced Monday to 19 months prison, followed by three years of post-prison supervision

A Jacksonville man will spend 19 months in prison after pleading guilty Monday to charges of luring and sexually corrupting a minor online while using the social media app Snapchat.

Anthony Nicholas Wheeler, 39 appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court on Monday as part of a plea agreement to one count of online sexual corruption of a child and one count of luring a minor, according to a media release provided by the Jackson County District Attorney’s office.

Wheeler was arrested March 26 after connecting with a local teenager via the “Quick Add” feature on the mobile messaging app Snapchat, according to a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office news release following his arrest.

The teen’s parents learned of the communications March 22 and contacted the sheriff’s office.

Wheeler, according to new details released on Monday, told the juvenile that he was looking for a relationship. When the juvenile informed Mr. Wheeler she was only 16 years old, Mr. Wheeler stated that age did not matter to him. The conversation continued and started to turn sexual, which is when the juvenile stopped communicating with Mr. Wheeler.

Detectives reviewed the messages and, with the consent of the juvenile and her mother, took over the juvenile’s Snapchat account and continued the conversation with Wheeler, who described sexual acts he wanted to do with the juvenile, according to Monday’s release.

Wheeler expressed a desire to meet up with the juvenile and agreed to meet in person at a bowling alley in North Medford the next day, at which time detectives with the Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team, JCSO, Oregon State Police and the Medford Police Department positioned themselves at the prearranged meeting spot.

Video of the arrest can be watched at https://bit.ly/4mlJdFj.

Wheeler can be heard on a video, provided by JCSO at the time of his arrest, saying, “Oh, I knew this was gonna happen.”

When interviewed by law enforcement following his arrest, Wheeler admitted that the person he was communicating with told him two or three times that she was only 16 years old, Monday’s release stated.

When asked if he was going to meet her for sexual relations, Mr. Wheeler responded “maybe one day if an actually legitimate relationship could be possible.”

Wheeler, who has been lodged in the Jackson County Jail since his arrest, has prior convictions in Douglas and Jackson counties dating back to 2008 that include reckless driving, second-degree criminal trespass, unauthorized use of vehicle and driving under the influence of intoxicants, court records show.

Due to his lack of prior criminal history, the District Attorney’s office said Monday that he could not be sentenced to a more significant prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, Wheeler will serve three years post-prison supervision and be required to register as a sex offender.

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or buffy.pollock@rv-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.