MONROE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Monroe County man is facing charges of criminal sexual conduct after allegedly asking a woman to shoot a TikTok video for him and then assaulting her.
Investigators believe there may be other victims out there, and they want them to come forward. 7 Action News typically does not show mug shots but is for that reason.
Avery Elijah Williams, 24, is charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct after allegedly assaulting a woman at a store on Telegraph Road near Stewart Road in Frenchtown Township.
Investigators said he had asked the woman to help him shoot a TikTok video.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said in a release, "The victim agreed and then noticed the suspect was attempting to draw attention to his clear state of arousal. The victim attempted to leave the area but the suspect assaulted her as she was fleeing."
Dawn Evans said she too had a disturbing interaction with Williams on December 21 while she was shopping at a Walmart in Monroe on Telegraph Road.
“It’s a shame that it couldn’t have stopped with me and somebody else wouldn’t have been victimized after that," she told 7 Action News.
She said Williams also asked her to help him record a TikTok video.
“I was like TikTok’s a trendy thing. I was like sure, whatever," Evans recalled.
She said he asked her to walk around a corner where there were fewer people, and he blocked the aisle with both carts.
“As he turned around, his genitals were hanging out of his pajama pants. They have a slit in them, in his underwear still, but hanging out. I said, ‘No, thank you.' And I turned around and I just walked away," Evans said.
Evans said she reported it to the store and tried to report it to the sheriff's office.
Alexis Ryckman said Williams approached her on Dec. 23 while shopping at a Dollar Tree on North Telegraph Road that's also in Monroe.
"And he looks at me and he says, “Excuse me. Are you busy?" She recalled.
Ryckman said Williams exposed himself.
“I was shocked. But the fact that someone had the audacity to do this in the first place, I knew that it wasn’t his first time and I knew it wasn’t going to be his last,” she said.
She has a message for other women who may have encountered him.
"I would recommend that they speak up and that they share their story with the detective because this guy doesn’t deserve to be free out on the streets," Ryckman said.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone impacted or who knows of any other incidents in the area to call 734-240-7530.
