Ypsilanti Township man with history of child sex assaults charged with child pornography

Patrick Ryan Sherill-Mix being held on $1 million bond

YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. – An Ypsilanti Township man is in jail Monday night on multiple child pornography counts.

Police said the man's history is deeply troubling, and they're asking for an unusually high bond to make sure he stays off the streets. The judge set bond at the full $1 million.

Patrick Ryan Sherill-Mix, 33, appeared at his arraignment Monday. He's under a Michigan Department of Corrections hold for the alleged violation of his parole.

Sherill-Mix had been in state prison for 11 years for molesting children. He got out in March, and in 2 1/2 months, Ypsilanti police said he picked up a smartphone and started gathering illegal images.

Police said he reached out to an old girlfriend on social media, and she called the police.

Officials said Sherill-Mix violated his parole by having the phone and using the internet. But he's also charged with eight counts of child porn -- three of them soliciting sexually abusive material, which is a 20-year felony; three counts of possession child pornography, a four-year felony; and two computer crimes involving child porn, one of which is another 20-year felony.

Ypilanti police asked for the $1 million bond after letting the judge know about his criminal past. He pleaded guilty to brutally sexually assaulting a 3-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl in St. Clair County and another 10-year-old girl.

Police told the judge he confessed to them in recent days that he'd been following around 10-year-old and 11-year-old girls he found attractive at local stores before his arrest.

His apartment complex was just up the street from the Ypsilanti Police Department, where he filed as a sex offender in March.

Sherill-Mix attended numerous sex offender counseling sessions, and police said none of them have been effective on him. He had slapped velcro on the back of his cellphone and kept the other half of it underneath the kitchen utensils drawer to try to hid his forbidden phone from officers.

A probable cause hearing is scheduled for June 21, and a preliminary exam is scheduled for June 28. In the meantime, the Michigan Department of Corrections will look to revoke his parole.


About the Authors:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.