Warren County man convicted of sexual battery of a child

WARREN COUNTY, Miss. (VDN) — A Warren County man has been convicted on two counts of Sexual Battery. He was acquitted on the third count after three hours of deliberations.

The victim, who is under the age of 13, took the stand on the first day of the trial. They described that Michael Shirey was nice but began sexually abusing her when she was 7. She stated that Shirey would sit her on his lap, rub her back, put his hands in her pants.

The victim’s sister also testified that she saw her sister go into a room with Shirey, where the events took place. The sister also told the jury that Shirey toucher her on the buttocks.

Both girls testified that there were photos of naked women on the wall of the room. Defense Attorney Mike Bonner told the jury that no photos were ever collected as evidence.

Shirey testified that his home was shut down for COVID, and the girl came to ask for water and drinks from time to time. 

Assistant District Attorneys Branan Southerland and Liem Walker prosecuted the case. Walker went through the key details of the case before the defense presented their summary. Attorney Bonner addressed the jury, noting that the CAC (Child Advocacy Center) worker said that she couldn’t determine if the victim was telling the truth and maintained that his client was innocent. 

During the trial, Stacey Rollison (WCSO) testified as well. She interviewed the victim and set up interviews with the Child Advocacy Center at the start of the case. 

Southerland gave the final summary to the jury, saying that the young victim had no motive to lie. “The only person who is lying is Mike Shirey,” Southerland said. He also emphasized that the victim was assaulted multiple times by Shirey.

Judge Toni Terrett set sentencing for October 30. Shirey faces a life sentence.