Hospital Worker Pleads Not Guilty in Child-Porn Case

A respiratory therapist has confessed to molesting “countless” children at the convalescent facility where he worked and selecting the most brain-damaged children to photograph in pornographic poses, a prosecutor told a judge Friday.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Laura Gunn referred to Wayne Bleyle, 54, an employee of the nationally recognized Children’s Hospital, as a “prolific trader in child pornography” over the Internet.

Bleyle pleaded not guilty to 24 charges of distributing child pornography and two charges of child molestation. Superior Court Judge David Szumowski set bail at $5 million even though prosecutors asked for only $3 million.

Bleyle worked at the 59-bed convalescent hospital that is part of Children’s Hospital.

The facility cares for children who are severely mentally and physically impaired, many of them comatose and all of them needing help with even the most basic needs.

Gunn said Bleyle confessed to investigators when he was told that he was under investigation. Asked how many children he had physically abused and photographed, Gunn said Bleyle replied, “How many snowflakes are out there?”

The respiratory therapist had worked for Children’s Hospital since 1980, the last decade at the convalescent facility.

He confessed to molesting children and taking photos of them while he was at the convalescent facility, Gunn said. Investigators have identified nine former or current patients as victims.

Bleyle, who had no criminal history, was arrested Wednesday night without incident.

After Bleyle’s arrest, hospital officials contacted the parents of children at the convalescent facility.

Also, cellphones, which Bleyle allegedly used to photograph the children, have been banned at the facility, and new rules restricting the use of privacy curtains that shield patients and caregivers have been imposed.

Gunn said investigators found more than 100,000 pornographic images in two computers and a hard drive seized at Bleyle’s home in Santee.