Tyler Wilson’s Battle For Hope

Tyler Wilson of Iuka has spent most of his 29 years on this earth in and out of prison.

He was broken, addicted, and searching – searching for fulfillment in his life. But that fulfillment never came – at least not in a healthy way.

“I had a good, God-fearing mom,” he said, “and my dad was a drug addict.”

By the time Tyler was 12, he had lost his father to the prison system, and he was watching his mother struggle to take care of her family. Tyler slipped into the life that he had learned from his father.

The Drug Spiral

When his dad returned home from prison, his father’s addiction influenced Tyler who was introduced to methamphetamines (meth) at the age of 15.

“My dad and I smoked  meth together,” Tyler said.

Tyler was beginning to spiral. At 16 he and a friend stole a car and were involved in a police chase before wrecking the vehicle. Tyler was taken to the juvenile detention center where he spent 30 days. That incident was the beginning of a cycle for Tyler. 

He moved to Booneville with his family and was spending his weekends strung out on drugs in local motels. Eventually, Tyler’s crimes got more serious. He was arrested at age 17 for burglary of a dwelling and was indicted as an adult for that crime. Tyler and his father passed each other – one entering incarceration and one leaving incarceration.  The revolving door for him and his dad took a toll on the family.

“During that time my mom moved in with my grandmother and my dad went back to jail,” Tyler said, “and the girl that I had been running around with found out she was pregnant.”

A Life of Incarceration

Tyler was sentenced to nine months in 2013 and went to prison.  He was only 18 years old. He waited in the Rankin County jail for nearly two months before being moved to Walnut Grove to serve his sentence.

“I got out, and nothing had changed. I was still riding around and doing drugs. The girl (Carla) had given birth about the time that I got out in 2014. She ended up giving him up for adoption to another family member. While I was out riding around, I got pulled over for DUI, and they sent me to the county jail.”

Tyler would spend the next 10 years of his life in and out of prison. He was offered treatment and a place to stay. Though he was given chance after chance, he still was not ready.

“My heart wasn’t ready yet,” he said. “I was more interested in the cocaine, meth, and weed than anything else.”

After being paroled in 2014, things went from bad to worse when Tyler was handed a four-year prison sentence for violating the terms of his parole. 

Prison was not a place of rehabilitation for him.  In fact, it was just the opposite. Tyler was using drugs and involved in the violence behind bars.  He was gang affiliated. His “stripes” went from medium custody (black and white stripes) to C custody (red and white stripes), which are reserved for the most violent individuals in prison. His days were spent beating up other inmates or being beaten up himself.

Tyler was out of control and doing everything he could to survive in an “eat or be eaten” environment until one day the Alcohol & Drug (A&D) instructor came to him and said that all he needed to do was graduate from A&D to make parole. Tyler was suddenly motivated to complete the program, although he said the A&D program was more about getting drugs inside the prison.

“All I could think about was how to get drugs inside and keep myself going,” he said.

A Church Experience

Tyler completed the A&D program and was released from prison, but he was still lost. He was living life as a junkie.  Like so many days before, he found himself one morning walking the roads not knowing where he was going or where he was going to get his next fix. A man pulled up alongside him and offered him a ride. He was on his way to church and told Tyler he would take him as far as the church. Tyler got in and rode with him.  When they got to the church the man asked Tyler if he wanted to go in with him.

“No,” Tyler said.

A few weeks later Tyler found himself at a house near that same church. Something made Tyler walk across to the church where he walked inside.

“I think I was looking for a bathroom that I could use for the drugs I had,” he said.

The church members helped the best way they knew how: they called the police. Tyler was arrested for possession and is now a habitual offender.  He was able to attend a drug treatment program at Love in Action in Laurel where he lived until April 2024.

New-Found Faith

“When I got out, I didn’t want to go back to the same people, so my uncle Tommy helped me get into a transition house in Burnsville,” Tyler said. “I stayed there about two months, got a job, and began going to church. I’ve been clean since March 2023.

“God saved my life,” Tyler said emphatically. “I have a camper that I’ve been able to set up and I’m just going one day at a time.”

“God has been good to me and feels really good to know that I have found stability in my life,” he said. “It’s very hard because when you come out you don’t have transportation, you don’t have an ID and it’s just hard.  When I got a driver’s license that was the best feeling in the world.”

Tyler has hopes for his future that a relationship with his son might be possible. He has also been able to see his father find faith in God and experience his own life change.

“I’ve gotten to share my story and preach about what God has done in my life, and the best thing was being able to baptize my dad at The Freedom Center.”

Tyler’s Message

Tyler’s message is simple: second chances are never wasted.

“You never know when someone’s heart is going to change. We can’t pick when that time is, only God can do that. And we can’t throw people away because it hasn’t happened yet.”