The federal trial of a former youth pastor and high school basketball coach accused of child sex abuse has again been pushed back. Lindsey Whiteside has already been convicted of state charges involving the same victim.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse, which some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
This is the third time the federal trial, which was originally set to take place in December, has been delayed. The trial is now set to begin on April 20. The trial date was pushed at the request of Whiteside’s counsel in light of inclement weather that has affected the law firm’s office.
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Whiteside formerly worked at a campus of Getwell Church located in Hernando, Mississippi, as a student and outreach coordinator. She also formerly served as an assistant basketball coach at DeSoto Central High School in Southaven, Mississippi.
Whiteside was initially arrested in November 2024 after being accused of sexually assaulting an underaged girl between May 14, 2024, and Nov. 6, 2024. The victim was a student at Getwell Church Hernando’s youth group. Whiteside is accused of grooming the student and sexually assaulting her on two separate church-related trips.
Following Whiteside’s arrest, she was terminated from her role at Getwell Church, and the church told ChurchLeaders that it had cooperated with authorities in the case.
After agreeing to a plea deal, Whiteside was sentenced to three years of house arrest followed by seven years of probation and the requirement that she register as a sex offender.
The sentencing sparked backlash, as some felt it was too lenient. DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton, who had recommended the maximum sentence of a 30-year prison term, characterized Whiteside’s sentence as “an absolute abomination of justice.”
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Barton indicated that his office would seek resentencing and that he would work with other jurisdictions to bring forth more charges since Whiteside’s alleged crimes included transporting the underaged victim across state lines.
