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Peter Wheeler, Jr., age 24 of Fairfield, was charged on Tuesday, Feb. 20 by Fairfield Police. He was first charged on Tuesday, Jan. 23 for possession of child pornography.
According to Sgt. Michael Stahl of the Fairfield Police Department, detectives continued their investigation into potential criminal activities involving Wheeler, who was a Fairfield Public Schools employee, following his arrest.
During the ongoing investigation, detectives uncovered information indicating the possible victimization of two juveniles, Stahl said.
Stahl said detectives discovered that Wheeler had been in contact with a juvenile boy high school student through electronic means.
This communication, which included text messages, phone calls, and social media interactions, occurred between late 2022 and late 2023.
While text and photographs were exchanged, contact between Wheeler and the juvenile had been severed before the start of this investigation, police said.
An arrest warrant was submitted seeking to charge Wheeler with the risk of injury/impairing the morals of children.
The investigation further revealed potential inappropriate contact between Wheeler and an elementary-school-aged girl, Stahl said.
A forensic interview was conducted with the victim, leading detectives to submit an arrest warrant application seeking to charge Wheeler with sexual assault.
Wheeler was charged with two counts of risk of injury/impairing morals of children and one count of sexual assault.
He was held on $350,000 in court-set bonds.
The Fairfield Police Department continues to actively collaborate with the Fairfield Public School system, and has maintained continuous communication throughout the investigation, Stahl said.
Parents and caregivers concerned about potential contact with Wheeler are urged to reach out to the Fairfield Police Investigative Division at 203-254-4840.
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