Former Mississippi youth minister sentenced to house arrest after pleading guilty to sexual battery of a child

HERNANDO, Miss. (VDN) — A former youth minister in Mississippi has been sentenced to house arrest after pleading guilty to sexual battery of a child.

Lindsey Whiteside, a former youth minister and basketball coach at Getwell Church in Hernando, was sentenced to 10 years under court supervision with no contact allowed with the victim or her family. For the first three years, she will be on house arrest, according to WJTV.

The remaining seven years of her sentence will be suspended on the condition of house arrest, followed by five years of supervised probation and two years of unsupervised probation.

Judge Andrew Howorth handed down the sentence. District Attorney Matthew Barton expressed frustration with the outcome during a press conference held afterward.

“This is the reason why people question whether our institutions actually serve victims. This is the wrong message,” Barton said. “It is very, very difficult for a victim of a crime, especially a child, to come forward and then to have her voice silenced by a horrible, horrible sentence—a miscarriage of justice—makes it even more difficult for future victims to want to come forward and be brave.”

At the time of the sexual abuse, the victim was 14 and 15 years old.

Barton said prosecutors presented 64,000 pages of printed text messages as evidence in the case and that he had sought the maximum sentence of 30 years.

During sentencing, Whiteside addressed the victim’s family directly.

“I want you to know that I deceived you. You guys didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry that I didn’t bring honor and respect to your family,” Whiteside said.

Whiteside will be required to register as a sex offender.