HERNANDO, Miss. – A former youth minister at Getwell Church Hernando, Lindsay Whiteside, will serve three years of house arrest after pleading guilty to child sexual battery, a sentence the DeSoto County District Attorney later called “an absolute abomination of justice.”
Whiteside, who faced a maximum of 30 years in prison, was sentenced Monday to house arrest followed by seven years of post-release supervision. She must also register as a sex offender for life.
Prosecutors described the evidence against Whiteside as an “overwhelming mountain,” including 64,000 pages of text messages. The case began in November 2024, leading to a grand jury indictment for the repeated sexual abuse of a child under her spiritual mentorship.
Lindsey Whiteside (file photo)
“This sentence is not right. It is everything that is wrong,” District Attorney Matthew Barton stated at a press conference, expressing outrage at the lack of prison time. He suggested a double standard was at play and criticized the judge’s decision.
The victim’s relative, Pam Pegram, also condemned the outcome.
“She gets to go home and hang out in her safe place, where she entered into our family’s safe place and destroyed that,” Pegram said. “How is this fair? How is this right?”
Barton also noted he would explore further legal action, as the abuse crossed state lines.
Bob Bakken provides content for DeSoto County News and its social media channels. He is an award-winning broadcaster, along with being a reporter and photographer, and has done sports media relations work with junior and minor league hockey teams. Along with his reports on this website, you will find this veteran media member providing sports updates and high school football play-by-play on Rebel 95.3 FM Radio.
