A man has been charged with trafficking and s*xual assault in relation to a girl who was found in a Texas Walmart parking lot in 2019, police say.
According to court documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee, Harris County authorities believe Tyrone Berry, 58, encountered the child in June 2019 at a hostel he worked at.
The girl, whose age is not stated, had reportedly escaped a group home in Houston prior.
Berry, who goes by “Big Face Tulu,” is accused of withholding food and forcing the girl to perform s*x acts in exchange for money, which she never received.
She was set up by Berry to go on “dates” with approximately 20 men, according to court records.
Deputies say Berry dropped the girl off at the Walmart parking lot a few days later because she “wasn’t making enough money.”
Five years later, Berry was arrested by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and has been charged with trafficking a person, compelling prostitution, and s*xual assault of a child. according to court records obtained by the outlet.
Law & Crime reported that deputies arrested Berry in the fall of 2019, but prosecutors dropped the case in March 2022 because they did not believe they could win the case.
Berry’s brother Otis is also implicated, according to the complaint, which reportedly alleges the child was taken to his music studio.
In January 2020, Otis surrendered to police after nearly two months on the run after being accused of s*xual assault of a child, compelling prostitution, and human trafficking, NBC affiliate KPRC reported at the time. The charges reportedly related to two 16-year-old girls.
Otis proclaimed his innocence and blamed his brother, saying he “never touched” the two girls.
Law & Crime reported that Otis was indicted with human trafficking by a grand jury in February 2024, is currently out on bond and is scheduled for trial in October.
Berry, whose bond was set at $50,000, reportedly faces two counts of trafficking a person, compelling prostitution, and two counts of s*xual assault of a child.
According to the Texas Sex Offender Registry, Berry has been convicted of s*xually assaulting a 15-year-old in 2006, and a 14-year-old in 1994. He received 10 years parole for the 2006 conviction, and eight years discharged for the 1994 conviction.