Trafficked child abandoned at Walmart for not making enough money, Texas cops say
A 58-year-old accused of abandoning a sex trafficked girl in a Walmart parking lot has been charged five years later, Texas authorities said.
Tyrone Berry encountered the child, whose age was not disclosed, in June 2019 after she left a group home in Houston and was dropped off at the hotel Berry worked at, according to the probable cause statement filed on Sept. 11.
Berry told the girl he would “take care of her,” Harris County deputies said, then led her into a recording studio and forced her into sex acts with his family members.
The girl was forced into “dates” with at least 20 men, including some of Berry’s family members, during which she was forced to perform sex acts in exchange for money, according to court documents. However, she told deputies she never saw any of that money.
Berry faces two counts of trafficking a person, compelling prostitution and two counts of sexual assault of a child, according to court records.
His attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Sept. 16.
Berry would withhold food from the child, giving it to her only if she made “enough money,” according to the probable cause statement.
After a few days, he dropped off the trafficked girl at a Walmart because she “wasn’t making enough money,” deputies said.
The girl sought help from a passerby, and was taken to a hospital.
In 2006, Berry was convicted of sexual assault of a child, according to court documents. According to the Texas sex offender registry, he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old.
He was sentenced to 10 years of parole for the 2006 offense, according to the registry.
Berry was being held in Harris County Jail on a $50,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 16.
This story was originally published September 16, 2024 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Trafficked child abandoned at Walmart for not making enough money, Texas cops say."
