YES, GUILTY
CASE of CHRIS WHEATLEY
Chris Wheatley, an FTM (female to male), goes by
name Christopher Bryan Wheatley. In a Franklin County case
earlier in 1997, Wheatley pleaded guilty to third-degree
rape of a 14 year old girl whom Prosecutors said Wheately
used a penile device to trick her into having sex with him several times.
Offender Name: Christopher Bryan Wheatley
AKA: Christopher Jordan; Chris Lee Wheatley;
Christy Lee Wheatley
Crime: Child Molestation Third Degree
Height: 5'4" Weight: 120 lbs
Hair: Brown Eye: Brown
Tattoos: cross-web of left hand, spider left index finer,
male symbol second finger left hand, picture of Pluto right forearm,
"Chasm" left forearm, "Snickers" left upper arm.
Body of evidence: fingers, a penile impersonation device,
a false penis, an erect penis, a strapped on, a sausage.
THE COURT: Mr. Wheatley, you're charged with Child Molestation in the
Third Degree. Is it your intention to plead guilty to that
charge this morning?
MR. WHEATLEY: Yes.
THE COURT: You have in mind your rights and understand which rights
you are waiving this morning by proceeding with the guilty plea;
is that correct?
MR.WHEATLEY: Yes.
April 08, 1997
TO: Rembert Ryals, Attorney
From: Michael F. Henry,
Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider
RE: CHRISTY a.k.a. CHRISTOPHER WHEATLEY
candidacy for out-patient sex offender counseling
Chris believes that she was born a male trapped in a woman's body,
however, for the purpose of this report, Chris will be referred to as
a female to avoid confusion for the reader, since she has not had a
full gender change or pre-op transsexual counseling as of this date.
THE COURT: The maximum penalty for the crime of Child Molestation in
the Third Degree is five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
You have a prior conviction in Franklin County of Rape of a Child
in the Third Degree. Is that your only prior felony conviction?
MR. ARNOLD: Your Honor, just for clarity, he does have offender adjudications
that do not constitute criminal history.
THE COURT: As a juvenile?
MR. ARNOLD: As a juvenile under the age of 15 and a half.
Chris admitted to engaging in sexual activity with her victim,
including sexual intercourse, but, according to her, she was in a
dating relationship with this girl and their sexual contact was consensual.
She denied having any sexual fantasies for younger children and said that
she was only guilty of misjudging her victim's age.
On the Emotions Profile Index, Chris can be described as a dependent
individual and lives her life on a day-to-day basis. She denied that she
was a transvestite or that she was a lesbian. She said that she viewed her
sexual experiences with women as being heterosexual.
On the Basic Personality Inventory, her profile appears to be indicative
of individuals who admit to unusual and pathological characteristics.
On the Incomplete Sentences Blank, Chris's responses suggest that she
is experiencing poor self-worth and social isolation.
THE COURT:This is the statement on the final page. "I am pleading guilty
because I am convinced the State will convict me. I don't think
I can prove I reasonably believed the victim was 16. I want to
get the State's recommendation." Is that a true and correct statement?
MR. WHEATLEY: Yes, it is.
Chris has felt alone in this world and made the decision early in life
that she was going to use any methods to meet her social, sexual,
and financial needs. Individuals with social histories such as Chris's,
have a very low level of empathy for others and thrive on immediate
gratification. Chris identifies strongly with the male gender and has
been so preoccupied with being a male that she has developed a high
level of sexual confusion and sexual conflicts. She has a history of
violent behavior, criminal behavior, and sexual offending.
THE COURT: I would ask the State to summarize the State's evidence.
MS. SHROYER: Your Honor, the State would present testimony on the victim
in this case to indicate that Mr. Wheatley was aware of her age
at the time they began dating. Mr. Wheatley had come to see her
while she was attending Chief Jo, which is a middle school.
During the time they were dating, Mr. Wheatley attended church
group functions with her. Additionally, we would present testimony
that at one point during the time they were dating he was made aware
of her age and told that he could no longer see her because she was,
in fact, only 14. We would additionally present testimony that during
the time they were dating, Mr. Wheatley kissed and fondled and also
had sexual contact with the victim in this case.
MR. ARNOLD: Your Honor, for the record, I reviewed both the victim and another
of the State's important witnesses and also contacted two of our
potential witnesses, and the best I could get out of that is that one
of them assumed that Chris thought she was at least 16 and we've
determined that's not sufficient because the burden on that element
would be up to Mr. Wheatley.
THE COURT: Are you entering a guilty plea this morning voluntarily?
MR. WHEATLEY: Yes.
Chris' sexual behavior can be described as manipulative, self-centered,
and intended only to meet her sexual gratification needs. Her sexual behavior
is also deviant in nature, and like other convicted sex offenders, she attempts
to meet all of her needs in relationships via her sexual outlets.
Finally, Chris presents with very complex dynamics. A review of the clinical
literature did not reveal any sexual offender typology for pre-transsexual
individuals, thus, Chris will fit into the category of female sex offender.
Her sexual confusion may also be related to her homophobia, and her sexual
acting out may have given her the opportunity to experience her fantasies
with individuals who are younger and needy which are similar to her own needs.
The court: So this is your own free choice?
MR. WHEATLEY: Yes.
THE COURT: Have you been promised anything if you plead guilty other
than the Prosecutor's agreement to recommend the bottom of
the range, 22 months?
MR. WHEATLEY: No.
THE COURT: Do you understand, Mr. Wheatley, that you would face up to
29 months in prison because that's the standard range and the Court
is not required to follow the recommendation of Counsel and has
discretion to sentence you anywhere within that standard range?
MR. WHEATLEY: Yes.
It is my clinical opinion that Chris does not appear to be amenable to
sex offender counseling in the community at this time. Her primary
treatment goal is to have pre-operative transsexual counseling which
is irrelevant to her sexual charge which appears to be part of her
repertoire of anti-social behavior.
THE COURT: How do you plead at this time to the charge of Child Molestation
in the Third Degree?
MR. WHEATLEY: Guilty.
THE COURT: The record will reflect your plea of guilty and the Court accepts
that plea as a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary plea of guilty
based upon fact and, accordingly, finds you guilty as charged in
the information.
Chris Wheatley, 19, was sentenced for 22 months in prison. Wheatley was
in quarantined isolation at Benton County jail until Gary Clarke, the Acting
Chief of Classification and Treatment, declared Chris' location status.
Clarke finalized assignment of Wheatley:
the Washington Corrections Center for Women at Purdy.
Clarke: "We go by the anatomy - if they have the anatomy of a male,
they are housed in a male institution and vice versa".
Bob Thompson, Wheatley's attorney, motioned to locate Wheatley,
to an all-male facility logically based on "the allegations he was doing
improper sexual (behavior) against females. It just seems odd to me that
if this is the sort of behavior you are trying to prevent,...that you would put
someone like that in an all-female facility."
based on
document #1
STATE OF WASHINGTON, Plaintiff
V. CHRIS WHEATLEY, Defendant.
MOTION ON CHANGE OF PLEA BEFORE THE HONORABLE DENNIS D. YULE June 4,1997
document #2
submitted by Michael F. Henry, Michael F. Henry, Certified Sex Offender
Treatment Provider , Re: Wheatley's candidacy for out-patient sex offender counseling