Former Wynot teacher sentenced

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A former Wynot teacher was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for coercion of a female.

Andrew Heller, 39, appeared in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Iowa Friday morning and was sentenced to 120 months in prison, or 10 years.

The court recommended Heller serve at either the federal prison in Sandstone, Minn., or Englewood, Colo.

Both are low-security male facilities with prison populations of more than 1,000.

After serving his sentence, Heller will be supervised for five years.

According to court documents, FBI investigators had been monitoring communications between Heller and a 14-year-old girl in which he offered her $200 for sex.

He was working as a teacher and coach at Wynot Public Schools at the time of his arrest during the summer of 2022.

As part of his sentencing Friday, Heller also was ordered to contribute $5,000 to the cost of his court-appointed counsel.