Man convicted of raping 14-year-old in Douglas County, passing along STD
PRISON FILE PHOTO (Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images)
DOUGLAS COUNTY - Tyreeq English-Richards, a 29-year-old registered sex offender, pled guilty to multiple counts of rape, aggravated child molestation, and child molestation before Chief Superior Court Judge William "Beau" McClain in Douglas County on April 17.
The case began in the summer of 2020 when a 14-year-old victim visited a friend's house in Douglas County. The friend's mother introduced English-Richards, her boyfriend, to the victim. Despite being a registered sex offender with a condition prohibiting him from being around children, English-Richards stayed at the friend's house and interacted with the victim and other children, unbeknownst to the victim's mother.
English-Richards sexually assaulted the victim during her stay, and she suffered in silence, fearing him. Upon returning home to Michigan, the victim complained of pelvic pain and was ultimately diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. She then disclosed the abuse and multiple rapes she endured in Douglas County.
The case was initially investigated by Michigan police and referred to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. During the local investigation, English-Richards denied the allegations, but law enforcement obtained medical records indicating he tested positive for the same sexually transmitted disease as the victim.
Later, District Attorney Investigators Kim Tesalona and Nick O'Connor picked up the case and uncovered additional evidence of English-Richards' abuse of other child victims. Evidence revealed that he had impregnated three other young girls between the ages of thirteen and fourteen. One of the victims' evidence led to an additional charge of child molestation against English-Richards, for which he also pled guilty.
English-Richards received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, with the first twenty years to be served behind bars.