Gresham Man Who Abused Girls Sentenced To 18-Years In Prison

GRESHAM, OR – To the woman who stood in Multnomah County Court on Tuesday and faced Tyler Wilkerson, there was no forgiveness to be offered. Wilkerson had been a friend of her mother's who stayed in their Troutdale home.

While there, he abused the woman and her sister.

On Tuesday, Wilkerson found out that he would be spending the next 18-years in prison for his crimes. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

"This isn't something that he has to live with,” one of the sisters said.

“This is something we have to live with. This didn’t happen to him. It happened because of him."

Wilkerson had been convicted of 18 counts including numerous charges of sexual abuse and one count of attempted rape for the crimes, which happened in 2013.

"I think about how many nights I cried myself to sleep because of this, how many nights I sat in my room scared that he was going to come into it, how many nights that me and my sister cried to each other about what happened and how it happened and how much it has affected us," the woman said.

"What he did defines him. It’s not some mistake that he made. It didn’t happen just one time. It happened several times to both of us."

The mother of the sisters said that Wilkerson had "violated the trust of two little girls. They have to live with this for the rest of their lives."

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office says that they would like to provide resources to the community when it comes to protecting children.

If you know of a child who is in immediate danger of being abuse or neglected, please call 9-1-1. Additional tips can be submitted to the Oregon Department of Human Services at any time by calling 1-800-509-5439 or by calling 503-823-3333.

Photo via Shutterstock.