A former Jackson County sheriff's deputy is headed to trial after two women and a girl testified during his preliminary examination this week that he sexually assaulted them years before he ever put on a badge. Tyler Glen Strawser was bound over to Circuit Court on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct following the Tuesday hearing.
One of the first-degree counts involves a child younger than 13, according to MLive, which reported that the two women and the girl described the assaults during testimony on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Jackson County District Judge Nicole Hughes ruled there was enough evidence for a jury to decide the case and sent it to Circuit Court.
Accusers Describe Years of Abuse at Family Gatherings
The two women testified that Strawser regularly touched them inappropriately and sexually assaulted them during weekly gatherings at his grandmother's home in the Vandercook Lake area, spanning from 2016 to 2023, per the same MLive account. One woman said Strawser assaulted her while the two were alone in a basement in 2016, and she said she didn't tell anyone about the abuse until her sister encouraged her to come forward. Court records reviewed by WLNS list Sept. 10, 2017, as the offense date for all three counts.
The courtroom was closed to the public while the girl testified, MLive reported. Strawser's defense attorney, Andrew Kirkpatrick, told the court there is no physical evidence that any sexual assault took place and argued the charges rely solely on the accusers' testimony.
Allegations Surfaced After He Joined the Sheriff's Office
The alleged conduct occurred before Strawser was employed by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, according to WLNS. The Sheriff's Office hired him as a road patrol deputy after he graduated from the Wayne County Regional Police Academy in 2022, and the initial allegations reached the department only after one of the accusers learned Strawser was working as a deputy, according to a report from WILX.
Once the accusations were reported, the department placed Strawser on immediate unpaid suspension and referred the matter to the Michigan State Police, according to WKHM, which reported he was fired before charges were ever filed. The Sheriff's Office ultimately terminated Strawser on Nov. 7, 2023, after determining he had withheld pertinent information during his hiring process, a firing that MLive reported was separate from and predated the criminal case now moving through the courts.
Case Now Heads Toward Trial
Strawser was arraigned on Aug. 24, 2026, following the Michigan State Police investigation, MLive reported. He remains free on a $250,000 cash or surety bond and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Michigan law defines first-degree criminal sexual conduct to include cases of sexual penetration where the other person is under 13 years old, according to the Michigan Legislature. The state's second-degree statute covers sexual contact under a separate set of listed circumstances, per the Michigan Legislature. It remains unclear whether Strawser has entered a plea or whether a trial date has been set as the case moves forward in Circuit Court.
