Last week, we mentioned a case in Detroit where a man who found child pornography in a storage unit was subsequently arrested for impeding a criminal investigation. More details have been uncovered in this case, including the man’s own arrest history and the arrest of the original tenant of the storage unit.
On July 20th, 30-year-old Tyreek Wilkerson and his fiance Shavon Henry, both residents of Southfield, Michigan, decided to attend a storage auction in hopes of finding some items for resale. After purchasing a unit, they began to go through the items inside. There were several bins holding items like jewelry, but there were also very disturbing materials – including pornographic photos of preteen girls and bins full of child-size panties.
As it turns out, the original renter of the unit had been using it as an impromptu pornography studio. He set up a wall to block off view from the door, and behind it had set up lights and cameras for pornography production. The facility manager of the Ypsilanti-based National Storage Center had no idea what was kept in the bins or stored behind the wall, sources say.
Once Wilkerson and Henry figured out what was inside, they threw away the material they had found and alerted the facility manager about the situation. They did not, however, immediately notify the police. Instead, they brought home the rest of the bins from the unit to sort through them at home. Unfortunately for them, this turned out to be the wrong decision.
Ypsilanti police, having been notified by the facility manger, soon arrived at Wilkerson’s door. According to Henry, who was present during the arrest, the couple were awoken at night and drug from their beds by the police, who proceeded to raid the home. The police removed several more items found in the storage unit, including cameras and a binder filled with pornographic images, before arresting Wilkerson on charges of possession and obstructing a police investigation.
Research into Wilkerson’s past suggests why he may have been reluctant to approach the police right away: He has a criminal record of his own. A glimpse at his background shows criminal charges for marijuana possession, receiving stolen property and criminal gun ownership. He had a detainer from an agency in Wayne county, suggesting that there had been a problem with a parole violation or outstanding warrant. All of which certainly explains why he may have been less than eager to approach the police immediately, but does little to excuse the destruction of evidence in this case.
There is at least a small silver lining to all of this. Thanks to the evidence police managed to retrieve from the storage facility’s dumpsters and Wilkerson’s home, coupled with information from the storage facility manager, the previous tenant and original owner of the pornography has been found and arrested. Details on his identity have yet to be released, but sources confirm that he is a 53-year-old Ypsilanti Township resident. The identify of the young girls shown in the pornography has yet to be determined, so it’s not yet known whether he had a relationship with them.
Wilkerson’s first hearing is scheduled for 8:30 AM on August 1.