SLO jury finds Oceano man guilty of raping teen girl —following a 5-day trial
An Oceano man was convicted by a San Luis Obispo jury on Thursday of eight felony sex crimes, including four counts of forcible rape of a minor.
The verdict came after a five-day trial in which 38-year-old Joshua Delante Wheeler was convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl that the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office said he “had a legal duty to care for and protect.”
The crimes spanned from May 15, 2019, through March 7, 2020, the District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Wheeler was 36 when he began committing the criminal acts, according to the release.
“I am very proud of this young survivor for her remarkable courage to report the crimes and to testify at trial that made it possible to bring Wheeler to justice,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “This conviction should embolden and encourage other victims of sexual abuse to report the conduct to their teachers or to law enforcement so that the offenders can be brought to justice.”
Wheeler is being held without bail at San Luis Obispo County Jail ahead of a sentencing hearing scheduled Aug. 19.
Wheeler faces a maximum possible sentence of 84 years in state prison for his convictions.
According to the release, the case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the District Attorney’s Office’s Bureau of Investigation.
The case was prosecuted by deputy district attorney Melissa Chabra, who is assigned to the District Attorney’s Office’s Sexual Assault Prosecution Unit.
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 6:36 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Joshua Delante Wheeler as Jason Delante Wheeler. The error has been corrected.
