GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The former chairman of Holland’s Tulip Time Festival told investigators that it was his pornography addiction that led him to shoot over-the-top videos of unsuspecting women in two West Michigan counties, according to an affidavit filed with the 63rd the district court.

Mark Edwin Dykema, 39, was formally charged Friday in Kent County, where he is accused of attempting to record video under women’s clothing at two locations, including a church in Wyoming.

“He stated that he has struggled with a pornography addiction for years,” a Kent County sheriff’s detective wrote in a probable cause document. “He said he has applications on his devices that block all pornographic websites, and the applications send a daily report to his wife for monitoring. Therefore, Dykema said he started creating pornography because he could not access pornography websites.”

In the affidavit, the Kent County investigator reported that Dykema is being investigated for attempting to record women’s underwear in Holland Township, Lowell Township and the city of Wyoming.

Dykema, who previously owned several Biggby Coffee shops in Holland and Zeeland, is charged in Kent County with two counts of using a computer to commit a crime and four counts of watching an unclothed person.

His attorney, Rob Howard, told News 8 that Dykema sold his interest in the cafes before he did charged in Ottawa County in September.

Man charged for taking pictures up a woman’s skirt

Howard also said Dykema’s actions were not work-related and there have been no allegations of wrongdoing at either cafe.

Gwen Auwerda, executive director of the Tulip Time Festival, told News 8 that Dykema stepped down from his position as Tulip Time chairman in August.

Howard said Dykema is cooperating with investigators.

“We are working through this process and hope to get this resolved as soon as possible,” Howard told News 8.

Dykema already faces similar charges in Ottawa County after a woman reported a man may have tried to take a photo under her dress in August at the Lowe’s on Felch Street near Holland.

“(The Lowe’s victim) reported that an unknown male subject may have taken a photo under her dress while she was standing in the center aisle of the store,” Kent County detectives wrote in the Ottawa County case. “(Lowe’s) surveillance video was obtained … (and) identified the suspect as Mark Dykema.”

The Kent County affidavit noted that Dykema admitted to Ottawa County detectives that he tried to record under the woman’s dress at Lowe’s for “sexual gratification.”

After the initial interview in Ottawa County, Dykema sent the detective a four-page email admitting his actions, according to the probable cause document.

The affidavit said it was Dykema himself who told detectives he had done the same thing in Kent County a couple of weeks before the incident in Ottawa County.

“(He) admitted to making additional recordings of the dress of a lady at the church,” the Kent County investigator wrote, referring to the Grand Rapids First Church on 44th Street SW in Wyoming. “(Dykema) said neither his wife nor anyone else knew he had taken videos of women wearing dresses, skirts and baggy shorts.”

Ottawa County seized Dykema’s cell phone for investigation through a search warrant.

According to the court document, Dykema also had pictures of the woman he had recorded at the church, whom he knew.

He told detectives the woman didn’t know he had been recording her at the church.

“There were two edited videos of Dykema that recorded images of (the woman’s) clothing, she was wearing an orange jumpsuit and captured her lower buttocks and upper legs,” Kent County detectives wrote. “In addition, there are 14 photos of (the woman) posing in lingerie and underwear. Due to the noticeable flash and paper texture, these photos appear to have been taken from a photo book.”

Ottawa County verified the woman’s identity and tracked her down for an interview.

“(She) explained that the photos were taken as a gift for her husband and given to him on their wedding night,” the Kent County investigator wrote. “She mentioned that the photo book was kept in (her husband’s) sock drawer in their bedroom.”

Detectives noted in the affidavit that the iPhone photos of the photo book images were taken in April and July 2024.

“However, (the woman) stated that she and her family were on vacation during those dates,” the investigator reported. “She also remembered that (Dykema) had called and asked permission to go to their house on both occasions, knowing the family was on holiday.”

Dykema is currently out on bail pending resolution of the cases in Ottawa and Kent counties.

Defense attorney Howard told News 8 there has been no discussion regarding a plea deal.

If convicted of both charges in Kent County, Dykema could face up to four years in prison.

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