DeSoto Co. woman pleads not guilty to federal sex crime charges
DESOTO CO., Miss. (WMC) - Lindsey Whiteside appeared in court Friday to plead not guilty to new federal charges.
Whiteside entered the courtroom in handcuffs at the U.S. District Court of Northern Mississippi with family present. Her attorneys waived the reading of the indictment before issuing a plea of not guilty on the charges.
Whiteside, a former youth pastor and assistant girls’ basketball coach at DeSoto Central High School, was arrested Thursday following a federal indictment for transporting a minor across state lines for sexual purposes.
In a response to a public records request to Action News 5, DeSoto County Schools claims Whiteside was never an employee with the district.
Action News 5 has reached out for clarification on what that means for her previous role with the basketball team.
Whiteside was indicted late last year on felony sexual battery of a minor. Following the guilty plea, a judge sentenced Whiteside to three years of house arrest and seven years of probation.
District Attorney Matthew Barton filed a motion to re-sentence Whiteside after calling the ruling “an abomination of justice.” Whiteside’s attorneys responded by calling on the court to dismiss the motion without a hearing.
Whiteside’s detention hearing is set for October 28 at 3 p.m.
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