A Billings man was charged Thursday with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy he met at a Billings West End Walmart on December 30.
Tyson Lee Garza, 39, was charged with sexually assaulting a child under the age of 16 in Yellowstone County District Court. He is scheduled to appear in court for the first time on Friday morning.
The girl was shopping at a Walmart when the assault occurred, according to an indictment filed by Yellowstone County prosecutors. She said she met and started talking to a man later identified as Garza.
According to the indictment, Garza told the girl he knew his grandfather and asked him to talk to him in a car he called “Daddy’s Truck.” Garza followed him to his car and asked her to help him unload the groceries.
They arrived at his pickup and, according to the paperwork, Garza asked the girl to take the passenger seat and put the groceries in the back seat.
According to the documents, Garza asked her name and other questions, and she tried to move away from the truck, but couldn’t open the door. I declined and handed over the vape pen.
Garza then allegedly assaulted the girl. Her indictment includes how he allegedly kissed her, blew smoke into her mouth, pulled her pants down, and held her down while allegedly performing sexual acts on her. are detailed.
Garza said workers walking nearby were distracted when they tried to hike, so the girl pulled up her trousers, opened the door and fled.
She did not know the perpetrator’s name, but provided an explanation to police. Surveillance video captured the two entering the store entrance and parking lot.
Police obtained a search warrant for records on state benefit cards Garza used to make purchases at Walmart, according to court documents. Although it was registered to another person, police determined that Garza was related to that person through a criminal database and obtained the mugshot.
Garza was stopped on Wednesday, Jan. 11 for a suspected traffic violation while driving a vehicle that matched the description in Walmart’s surveillance video, according to the documents.
He was arrested and police applied for a search warrant for his car and DNA.
