The former headmaster at Wilmington’s Tower Hill School received a 50-year prison sentence today (Friday) for dealing in child pornography.
55-year old Christopher Wheeler was convicted last December on 25 counts of dealing child porn. He waived his right to a jury trial after a judge denied a defense motion to suppress evidence seized by police.
The same judge that found Wheeler guilty in December gave him the minimum 2 years for each count today. Wheeler plans to appeal.
Law enforcement searched Wheeler’s home and office in the fall of 2013 as part of a Child Predator Task Force investigation, and turned up multiple images of child pornography on computers and other digital media seized.
He stepped down as headmaster after the search.
In March, Tower Hill School has released the results of an internal investigation of Wheeler.
Kroll Consulting, the largest private investigation firm in the world, conducted a six month long probe and said it found no evidence of any abuse by Wheeler at Tower Hill or any indication that anyone at the school knew that he was engaged in child pornography. Additionally, it found that Wheeler’s hiring vetting process was thorough and comprehensive and there were no “red flags” of any abusive conduct by the former headmaster.
