BERKLEY, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Berkley man is facing a criminal sexual assault charge against a teenage girl, and police believe more victims may be out there.
Twenty-four-year-old Darren Bradford was arraigned Friday on one count of criminal sexual conduct for alleged contact with a child age 13 to 15.
Bradford was initially being investigated by Berkley police for allegedly distributing alcohol, nicotine and marijuana to teenagers after a witness reported concerning activity. The Berkley address connected to Bradford is an apartment building within a few hundred feet of Berkley High School.
Some residents had seen suspicious activity firsthand.
“There'd be a bunch of high school age-girls... clearly not adults and they’d all get in his car and stuff and he’d get in the car and they’d speed off," said a neighbor, who was not the original tipster and asked not to be identified over safety concerns. “It would happen like every day around the same time, like 12, 12:30 (in the afternoon) and it was always like five to six girls, sometimes more.”
The neighbor says the time correlates with when Berkley High School lets out for lunch.
“In this case, it hits close to home," said Detective Lt. Andrew Hadfield of the Berkley Department of Public Safety. "A lot of our officers, we have kids in the community here and anybody who has kids in the school, you’re always concerned about that.”
Hadfield said a tip from a concerned witness led to an undercover investigation in early February, which initially focused on Bradford providing alcohol, nicotine and marijuana to teens.
“After speaking with a couple of the minors, one of them came forward with allegations of a sexual assault that occurred," Hadfield said. "So that changed the course of the investigation.”
Hadfield says it appears Bradford connected with teens through word of mouth. Police have identified eight to 10 kids from the local area but know of about 20 kids in total, some from as far away as Brighton.
“The actions appear to be grooming," Hadfield said. "You’re spending your time with somebody, spending money, buying them lunch, buying them vapes. You start to get them comfortable with you and then the sexual assaults appear to occur.”
“I think it's alarming," nearby resident Vittorio Cracchiolo said. "There’s a high school right here. A lot of kids in this area, a lot of families.”
As neighbors become aware, police say more potential victims are coming forward, all thanks to that initial tip.
“We have received phone calls over the weekend, so we want to follow up on those to see who may be involved,” Hadfield said. "A lot of crimes are solved and a lot of cases are closed up because someone sees something and says this just isn't right.”
Potential witnesses or victims can contact detectives at 248-658-3390 or at DB@berkleymi.gov.
