Man who wore diaper while soliticing girls gets prison sentence

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - A Tyler man who tried to solicit two girls by asking them to change his diaper pleaded guilty on Monday. [KLTV Channel 7 News]

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A 47-year-old Tyler resident entered a guilty plea Monday in connection with an indecent exposure incident targeting two minors, according to court records. Wesley Steven Worl accepted a 16-year prison sentence from District Judge Taylor Heaton following the arrangement in court, avoiding a trial that had been scheduled for July 21.

The incident occurred in August at the Andy Woods Elementary School parking lot, where two girls were riding bicycles and scooters when Worl exited his vehicle clad only in a diaper and asked them to assist him in changing it. The children fled the scene and were subsequently aided by a nearby resident, according to documents filed with the court.

Though Judge Heaton voiced reservations regarding the plea agreement before approving it, prosecutors said their decision reflected careful legal analysis. The maximum penalty Worl could have faced was 20 years in prison. Prosecutors stated they examined the possibility of pursuing more serious charges but determined the evidence did not satisfy the statutory requirements for those counts.

District Attorney Angela Faulkner explained the strategic reasoning behind the guilty plea arrangement. "It means there's no appeal on the case. It means the children don't have to testify," Faulkner said, noting that shielding the victims from courtroom testimony weighed in the prosecution's calculus.

Worl was initially charged with a third-degree felony, which prosecutors upgraded to a second-degree felony, Faulkner said. That elevation became possible after authorities identified a previous stalking conviction on Worl's record, which enhanced the severity of the current charges.