Former high school teacher faces 78 felony charges stemming from sexual relationship with minor
Editor’s note: This story contains graphic, potentially triggering details and allegations of sexual abuse by an authority figure. This story may be difficult for some to read. The Platte County Record-Times took great care and consideration in reporting the facts from the court documents and not naming the alleged victim or victims due to the nature of the crimes and age of the alleged victim or victims at the time of the crimes.
WHEATLAND — A former Wheatland High School music teacher and member of the Wyoming National Guard, Evan Whitt Bradley, 34, was charged last month of 76 instances of sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree while in a position of authority and two charges of sexual child exploitation.
New details from court filings suggest Bradley was also briefly a local law enforcement officer during the time some of the alleged crimes took place.
New charges
As reported previously, Platte County deputy attorney Marel Bunker Roth told the court on May 28 that her office intended to file additional charges against Bradley when her office argued against a bond reduction or change of bond status.
According to the new filings, Roth filed those charges the day after the bond hearing court date.
According to documents, Bradley was charged with 78 new felony counts involving alleged sexual child exploitation and sexual abuse on May 29 and subsequently arrested for them.
Of the 78 new alleged charges filed: two included sexual exploitation of children, Wyoming Statute (W.S.) §6-4-303(b)(ii); and 76 included sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree-position of authority, W.S. §6-2-316(a)(ii).
W.S. §6-4-303(b)(ii) sexual exploitation of children charges defined by Wyoming law includes alleged criminal offenses relating to items such as “child pornography,” the production of visual depiction of children engaging in explicit sexual conduct, and can include actual or simulated sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital or oral-anal, between persons of the same or opposite sex or other subversive sexual acts.
Additionally, this law outlines the various methods of visual depiction, whether undeveloped or developed film, videotape, data stored, electronic storage or visual impressions, such as digital photos. This statute also clearly defines a minor child to mean someone under the age of 18 years old. Lastly, this statute details methods used to obtain such material, such as induces, entices or coerces a child to engage in or be used for any explicit sexual conduct, as well as the possession thereof.
According to the new court filings, the two counts involving W.S. §6-4-303(b)(ii), allege the sexual exploitation occurred on or between Oct. 3, 2023 to Oct. 11, 2023 and again on or between Nov. 1, 2023 to May 30, 2024. Those charges state the “defendant (redacted) for any purpose, knowingly, caused, induced or enticed a child, (redacted) to engage in the making of child pornography.”
Those two charges carry a potential imprisonment of at least five years and not more than 12 years in addition to a potential fine to not exceed $10,000, or both.
W.S. §6-2-316(a)(ii) sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree-position of authority refers to the alleged defendant’s age being over 17 years and engages in sexual contact with a victim who is between the ages of 13 and 15-years-old, with the victim being at least four years younger than the alleged defendant. It also stipulates individuals older than 17, such as aged 20 or older, where the alleged defendant engages in sexual intrusion with the victim who is either 16 or 17-years-old, and the victim is at least four years younger than the alleged defendant, who occupies a position of authority in relation to the alleged victim.
The 76 charges relating to W.S. §6-2-316(a)(ii) sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree list several dates of alleged incidents ranging from Oct. 11, 2023 to May 30, 2024.
According to the court filing by the county attorney’s office:
Eight charges were alleged to have occurred in October 2023;
Two charges were alleged to have occurred between October 2023 and November 2023;
Four charges were alleged to have occurred in November 2023;
Three charges were alleged to have occurred between November 2023 and December 2023;
Three charges were alleged to have occurred in February 2024;
Twenty-five charges were alleged to have occurred between November 2023 and May 2024;
Three charges were alleged to have occurred in January 2024;
Twelve charges were alleged to have occurred in February 2024;
Eight charges were alleged to have occurred in March 2024;
Seven charges were alleged to have occurred between March 2024 and May 2024; and
At least one charge was alleged to have occurred in May 2024.
Those charges state, “In (redacted) the Defendant, (redacted), who was twenty (20) years of age or older engaged in sexual intrusion with (redacted); to wit; cunnilingus (redacted) was sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) years of age at the time of the sexual intrusion; and (redacted) was at least four (4) years younger than the defendant; and the defendant, (redacted), occupied a position of authority in relation to (redacted).”
These charges carry a potential imprisonment of not more than fifteen years and a potential fine to not exceed $10,000, or both.
According to court and jail documents, Bradley was unable to bond out after his hearing on May 28 and was subsequently rearrested on the new charges in the county jail on May 29. Bradley remains in custody at the Platte County Sheriff’s Detention Center with a non-bondable status due to the new charges filed.
As of Friday, Bradley was scheduled for a preliminary hearing for June 9, at 1 p.m. at the Platte County Circuit Court; however, an affidavit was filed on June 5, waiving his right to a preliminary hearing.
New details
The affidavit of probable cause filed with the new charges from the county includes details from Platte County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) investigator Troy Bartel. The new case, which is a second case against Bradley, was filed on May 29, and the case, State of Wyoming vs. Evan Whitt Bradley (CR-2025-64), alleged a years-long sexual relationship which progressed and continued after the alleged victim was 18 and after Bradley resigned from the school district to become a police officer.
“On January 27, 2025, your affiant learned from Sheriff Russell that (redacted) has been placed on administrative leave from the (redacted),” the court affidavit read. “Sheriff Russell advised that (redacted) had been the (redacted) at (redacted) prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year and was rumored to be having inappropriate relationships with his students. It was rumored that (redacted) was having a relationship with a minor female (redacted).”
Bradley resigned from his position as the Wheatland Middle School and Wheatland High School band teacher in March 2024.
New information from the affidavit also alleges additional details about the nature of the relationship as observed from another unnamed individual.
“On January 30, 2025, your affiant interviewed a minor female (redacted) at (redacted) (redacted), Platte County, Wyoming. (Redacted) said that the relationship between (redacted) and (redacted) appeared to be more than a (redacted) relationship,” the document states. “(Redacted) had heard that (redacted) and (redacted) would be at the band room late at night around 10 to 11 p.m.”
The court document details a third interview of a minor female, but it is unclear if it is the same minor female from the first or second interview listed above.
“On February 3, 2025, your affiant interviewed a minor female (redacted) at the Platte County Sheriff’s Office. (Redacted) said that in December of 2023 after their winter concert some of the band members were joking around and (redacted) overheard (redacted) tell another student she was ‘sleeping’ with (redacted), the affidavit detailed. (Redacted) said she confronted (redacted) about this, and (redacted) told (redacted) that she was ‘hooking up’ with (redacted), (redacted) took this to mean that (redacted) and (redacted) were engaging in sexual activities.”
The interview with the above-mentioned unidentified minor female also states that later in the school year, she observed the other girl sitting next to Bradley, with her hand on him.
“(Redacted) said that near the end of the 2023-2024 school year the band students were playing games sitting in a circle together with (redacted), (redacted) said she observed that (redacted) was sitting next to (redacted) with her hand on his thigh.”
Later that day, the sheriff’s investigator also interviewed two minor males about their observations of previously reported events at the PCSO office.
At least one of the male minors told Bartel, “(Redacted) would see (redacted) (a) vehicle parked in the parking lot of the school and (redacted) (a) vehicle parked on the street by the school late at night a few times a week.”
Adding, “(Redacted) said the light would be on in the band room. (Redacted) said this would be between 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. (redacted) said one night it was after 11:30 p.m. when he saw their vehicles still at the school and the band room light on.”
Alleged nature of the relationship
An interview with Wyoming DCI agents in the court filings shed new light on the nature of the relationship between the alleged victim and Bradley.
“(Redacted) said that (redacted) was her band teacher from sixth grade through her senior year of high school,” the document states. “(Redacted) said she had begun a sexual relationship with (redacted) in October of 2023.”
According to the court filing, the requests for explicit photographs began relatively early in the alleged relationship.
“Between the dates of October 3, 2023, and October 11, 2023, was when (redacted) recalled (redacted) first asking her for naked pictures,” The affidavit reports. “(Redacted) would send (redacted) at least one picture a day until well after she was eighteen years old.”
Adding, “(Redacted) said (redacted) would typically ask her for photos but sometimes she would just randomly send them.”
The unnamed alleged female victim goes on to describe the explicit nature and frequency of the sexual relationship where she states, “One time, (redacted) stated (redacted) asked her to go into his classroom at the (redacted) to take a nude photo and send it to him. (Redacted) complied with his request.”
According to the court filings, during a follow-up interview on April 18, 2025, the alleged victim told investigators that the first time she and Bradley engaged in “any kind of sexual contact was on October 11, 2023, in the stage left closet of the auditorium in the (redacted)(redacted) said she performed oral sex on (redacted) and he performed oral sex on her.”
During that same interview, the alleged victim also told investigators, “On approximately October 20, 2023, (redacted) and (redacted) were in the cable room in the (redacted) auditorium and performed oral sex on each other.” Reportedly this sexual encounter took place “before a high school football game they were performing at because the saxophone group came in to change into their band uniforms on the auditorium stage while she and (redacted) were in the cable room.”
She goes on to describe another time in which she was with Bradley, “in his van, and they drove around Wheatland trying to find a place to park and engage in sexual activities.” Eventually she tells investigators they were able to find a spot and climbed into the back row of the van and performed oral sex on each other.
During the interview, the alleged victim told investigators she and Bradley continued a sexual relationship from October 2023 through November 17, 2023, at various locations at the school and “performed oral sex on each other every day for the first week and then continued to perform oral sex on each other multiple times a week.”
Eventually this alleged sexual relationship evolved, and the alleged victim told investigators, “(Redacted) had purchased a pink vibrator which he used on her in the stage right closet two times,” the court filing said. “(Redacted) said (redacted) packaged the vibrator back up and gave it to his wife as a gift.”
According to statements made by the alleged victim to investigators, the first time she and Bradley reportedly had intercourse was sometime near the end of November or beginning of December 2023. She goes on to describe numerous occurrences of graphic and explicit sexual encounters (both oral and via intercourse) she allegedly had with Bradley, mostly on the school campus, of which at least two times occurred in his band office and before she was eighteen.
The alleged sexual relationship did not end when Bradley reportedly began working for the police department after he resigned from the school district.
According to statements made by the alleged victim, at least one sexual occurrence happened while he was in uniform.
[“(Redacted) said on the Sunday of a drill weekend right around the time (redacted) became a law enforcement officer (November or December 2023), (Redacted) said she remembered (redacted) being in uniform and they had sexual intercourse, she performed oral sex on (redacted) and he performed oral sex on her on the floor in the woman’s bathroom.”]
The alleged sexual relationship reportedly continued to progress as the alleged victim described sexual occurrences between herself and Bradley to investigators inside his residence while his wife was gone and their children were home. She also told investigators that the alleged sexual relationship became more frequent at school inside the band uniform closet after musical rehearsals.
The alleged victim also told investigators she was an “intern” for her sixth hour class in which this opportunity allowed more frequent access to the sexual nature of the relationship, including occurrences after returning from band trips and performances. In the court filing by the state, and from the interviews conducted with the unnamed alleged victim, she lists at least 22 specific times and six ranges of dates in which Bradley and her reportedly engaged in oral sex or intercourse from October 2023 through May 2024.
During the investigation in April and May 2025, the alleged victim was asked about the sexual toys Bradley reportedly used with her, of which she had in her possession and had described in her interviews, and was asked for more details. The court filing does not state whether or not investigators took those items into evidence or custody for this case.
Previously reported
As previously reported by the Platte Co. Record-Times, PCSO applied for and received a search warrant for the social media giant Snapchat, a platform notorious for disappearing messages and other settings used in the attempt of mitigating the availability of messages sent between its users. Bartel applied for the Snapchat warrant on Feb. 6, 2025 and on Feb. 15, 2025, received the requested information for the accounts in question, of which at least one is that of Bradley’s.
“During a review of the information received from Snapchat, your affiant observed messages between (redacted) and (redacted) that were indicative of a relationship,” the affidavit stated. “They told each other they loved one another and called each other ‘soulmates.’”
Due to the information gleaned from the Snapchat accounts, PCSO applied for a search warrant of Bradley’s residence in Platte County on March 10, 2025.
The following day, on March 11, 2025, PCSO deputies and Wyoming DCI agents executed the search warrant of his residence, including his electronics and was “subsequently arrested for possession of child pornography and sexual abuse of a minor, involving another minor child,” the court documents state.
On that same day, March 11, and again on March 31, 2025, DCI investigator Morris conducted interviews with several redacted individuals according to the filing documents. At least one of the individuals interviewed is the alleged victim.
None of the new details indicate the alleged sexual relationship occurred at or while Bradley was a member of the Wyoming National Guard.
Details previously reported of alleged sexual harassment and assault discussed by Bradley’s supervisors from the National Guard during his bond hearing in late May do not appear in the new filing or details within the new affidavits submitted by PCSO and Wyoming DCI.
It is unclear if Bradley remains employed by the Wyoming National Guard at this time or not, and the last reported update from the May bond status hearing reported he had been demoted to part-time and restricted work.
At the May 29 bond status hearing, Judge Buchanan denied a bond reduction, however, allowed Bradley the opportunity to seek a surety bond instead of a cash-only bond.
The Platte Co. Record-Times does not presume guilt: these are allegations filed by the county attorney’s office. Bradley is presumed innocent until proven in court and both cases, CR-2024-10 and CR-2025-64 are still being litigated in Platte County Circuit Court.
The new case has been assigned to the same judge, Honorable Edward Buchanan, and Bradley has waived his right to a preliminary hearing on June 5.
His preliminary hearing was set for June 9, 2025 at 1 p.m. and Roth was assigned as the prosecuting attorney in the second case. Upon being assigned the prosecutor for the second case, Roth requested of the court to revoke the previously-sought bond and to place Bradley in a non-bondable status.
As of Monday, June 9, it is unknown whether or not Bradley will be bondable or have the ability to request another bond status change.
This story was published on June 11, 2025.