The legal dispute surrounding a former youth pastor convicted of sexually assaulting a student continues to unfold.
While a judge ruled earlier this week that Lindsey Whiteside would be released to home confinement while she awaits trial for two federal charges of transporting a minor for sexual activity and one federal count of coercion, prosecutors have filed a motion to keep her behind bars.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex crimes that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
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.
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Whiteside was first arrested in November 2024 after being accused of sexually assaulting an underaged girl between May 14, 2024, and Nov. 6, 2024. Whiteside was charged with one count of felony sexual battery of a minor.
The victim was a student of the church’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.
In October of this year, Whiteside pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement and was sentenced to three years of house arrest, followed by seven years of supervised probation. She will also be required to register as a sex offender.
DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton strongly objected to the sentence, as his office had advocated for Whiteside to receive the maximum punishment of 30 years in prison. Barton characterized home confinement as “an abomination of justice” and indicated that his office would work with other jurisdictions to bring forward additional charges.
