Royal Oak Tribune

Suspect charged in attempted sexual assault

Victim used Taser to scare him off

- By Mike McConnell mmcconnell@medianewsg­roup.com @mmcconnell­01 on Twitter

A Hazel Park man, who police say attempted to sexually assault a girl before she used a Taser and screamed to scare him off, was charged and jailed on $450,0000 cash bond Friday.

Hazel Park police said the attack happened Monday night near the

Hazel Park High School, about a quarter mile from where the suspect lives. The girl was walking home.

Darryl D. Tellis, 29, was arraigned in Hazel Park 43rd District on a felony charge of assault with intent to commit sexual penetratio­n on the girl, 17.

“He grabbed her and pulled her to an area behind the dugout on the baseball field,” Hazel Park Police Chief Buchholz said Friday. “She went along, while anticipati­ng using her Taser.”

Police said Tellis told the girl not to scream and that he “only wanted sex.”

The girl went along until police said the suspect ordered her to get on her knees. She twice used a Taser on him and started screaming, police said.

Tellis struggled with the girl, but ran off after she started screaming, police said. The girl ran to a house across the street from the school at 23400 Hughes Ave. and police were called.

Though it is illegal to carry a Taser without a concealed weapon license in Michigan, police said no charges would be sought against the girl.

Police said detectives viewed surveillan­ce video from around the school and a gas station that showed a man matching the victim’s descriptio­n.

Though a police K- 9 unit was unable to establish a track at the scene, police said they were able to locate the suspect.

Tellis lives with a relative at an apartment in the area and was arrested. Police said the suspect confessed and the girl identified him as the attacker.

He requested a court appointed attorney at his arraignmen­t. If Tellis is able to post bond he will have to wear a GPS tether.

The suspect is scheduled for a probable cause conference in Hazel Park court at 1:50 p.m. Nov. 24, a preliminar­y examinatio­n hearing Dec. 8.

He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

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