LEONARDTOWN, Md. — A public parole hearing has been scheduled for a Lexington Park man just months after he was sentenced to serve four years in prison in a sexual solicitation of a minor case.
Tyler Gage Wathen, 19, pleaded guilty Jan. 9, 2026, to sexual solicitation of a minor in connection with offenses that occurred between July 15 and Aug. 31, 2025, according to court records.
On March 23, 2026, Judge Amy Lorenzini sentenced Wathen to 10 years in prison, with all but four years suspended. Upon release, Wathen is set to serve five years of supervised probation. The sentence also included a no-contact order and mandatory therapy requirements.
As part of the disposition, Wathen is required to register as a Tier II sex offender for 25 years.
A public parole hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19, 2026, at 11 a.m. The hearing comes less than five months after Wathen was sentenced in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court.
A victim representative requested the public hearing and plans to participate by conference call. The representative said they intend to read a victim impact statement from the sentencing hearing and add remarks opposing the possibility of Wathen being paroled after serving only months of the active portion of his sentence.
The representative said they were told that in many nonviolent cases involving sentences of less than five years, incarcerated individuals may be heard for parole consideration. Speakers are expected to be limited to eight minutes during the hearing.
The hearing does not mean Wathen will be released. The proceeding allows the Maryland Parole Commission to review the case, hear from involved parties and consider whether parole should be approved, denied or delayed.
Court records show Wathen’s jury trial was canceled after he entered the guilty plea. Multiple hearings were held in the case before sentencing.
Additional information on the parole hearing outcome will be reported once available.
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