Lori Wickelhaus, 29, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges, according to FOX 19 Now. The former 16 & Pregnant star, who is from Northern Kentucky, was indicted on 20 counts for possession of a matter portraying a minor in a sexual performance last year, the outlet reported. As part of her plea agreement, a Kentucky court is also apparently requiring her to get mental health counseling.
Before her sentencing, an arrest for Lori was first issued back on Aug. 13, 2020 after investigators received a tip-off from the Kentucky State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that an “unknown subject uploaded images that depict child pornography to a dropbox account,” according to The Sun. Officers got a warrant and took away her iPhone and laptop, where they found the illegal pornography, the outlet said.
After she was arrested in 2020, she posted her ten thousand dollar cash bond and was released. The court claimed a month later, she entered an original plea of not guilty for possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, but The Sun further reported that she changed her plea to guilty in May 2021. She’s apparently been in custody without bond since June 30 after she was arrested for contempt of court.
Lori’s prison news comes after she stepped into the spotlight during her time on the second season of MTV’s 16 & Pregnant in 2010. The show documented her journey after she became pregnant by her ex-boyfriend at 17. In the show, the differing opinions of her family and friends were shown and she debated whether or not to put the baby up for adoption, which she ended up doing.
The baby was named Aidan and was born in Dec. 2009. The show claimed that after the adoption, Lori continued to see the boy and his adoptive family, but it’s not clear whether or not that was still the case at the time of her arrest or sentencing. Lori is also the mother of daughter, Rylynn Jo, 7, and son, Logan, 6, who she shares with her now ex-fiance Joey Amos.
