Houston has witnessed the apprehension of a hotel employee on multiple charges connected to child trafficking and sexual assault in a case with roots stretching back to 2019. Tyrone Berry, 66, is facing serious legal accusations after his recent arrest during an operation involving Harris County Criminal Investigations and Security Division and the Harris County District Attorney's office, according to Click2Houston.
Information provided by ABC13 reveals that the victim at the heart of the case first met Berry, an employee at the North Villa Inn, after running away from a foster home and she was forced to work for food, and if she did not meet specified monetary targets set by Berry she claims she was taken to a local recording studio where she endured sexual assaults and was provided with drugs.
Details from the court documents indicate that Berry, also known by the alias “Big Mike,” made false promises to look after the victim, exploiting her vulnerability, he later coordinated "dates" for her, essentially treating her not as a human being with inherent worth and dignity but as a mere tool for his financial gain. The last known incident connected to Berry’s alleged crimes occurred on the morning of June 14, 2019; the victim told investigators she met Berry at the aforementioned hotel and was then brought to the recording studio where the assault took place.
In a concerted effort to address the heinous trade that is human trafficking, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales lauded the investigative efforts that led to Berry's arrest, “Our increased efforts to crack down on Human Trafficking are paying off. More outstanding work by our Sgt. Y. Saenz and her team, all part of our jail-based Criminal Investigations and Security Division (CISD),” Gonzales said in a post on Facebook, as obtained by Click2Houston.
It is important to note that Berry's criminal history includes a prior conviction for which he was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to a sex offense involving a minor, tampering with government records, and kidnapping in 2005 and 2006. The victim, whose struggle for justice has spanned more than half a decade, positively identified Berry in a lineup on October 22, 2021. Berry is currently being held accountable to the justice system, with charges including trafficking of a child, compelling prostitution of a child, and two counts of sexual assault of a child now hanging over his head amid ongoing legal proceedings.
