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- The defense of a child predator by a board member and faculty of DeSoto County Schools is nearly as disturbing as the double standard employed by judge in giving Lindsey Whiteside a gentle tap on the wrist. Both demand accountability.
Lindsey Whiteside, a 26-year-old youth pastor and assistant basketball coach, hails from a prominent family in DeSoto County. On Monday, she appeared before special judge Andrew Howorth and pled guilty to sex with a minor female over whom she exercised an authority relationship.
Prosecutors had over 60,000 messages and documents showing Whiteside groomed her victim over a prolong period before initiating a extended sexual relationship. She admitted to it all. District Attorney Matthew Barton sought 30 years. Howorth gave Whiteside no time, just house arrest.
Barton contends that the sentence is illegal under Mississippi law and called it an “abomination of justice.” Appellate courts will decide the first part. He’s absolutely right about the second.
If Lindsey Whiteside had been a man, pitchforks would have been raised. There would be calls to lock him up and throw away the key, and talk of castration or worse. But for some reason, if a cute-ish white woman is a child predator, society sloughs it off or even makes a joke of it.
No one would make an excuse for a dude. They’d call him a pedophile. The Whiteside case represents an abhorrent double standard.
Don’t take my word for it. As if God wanted to prove the point in a stark and timely manner, enter Willie Alexander. On Wednesday, Alexander was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a Hinds County judge. His crime? Alexander, a basketball coach at Clinton Christian Academy, had sex with a male minor.
Unfortunately for him, Alexander was born black, a man, and lacking in the kind of prominent family that can draw character references for an admitted child predator and pedophile. Otherwise, he might have pulled house arrest, too.
To be abundantly, uber clear, male pedophiles should not received Lindsey Whiteside leniency. 30 years feels like the justice system Goldilocks equivalent of “just right.” It’s just that Lindsey Whiteside should not have received Lindsey Whiteside leniency either.
Oh, But it Gets Worse
District Attorney Barton is fighting to have the letters sent to sway Judge Howorth unsealed. He contends they include character references from nine teachers, one vice principal and one school board member.
That school board member, Michele Henley, is facing calls for her resignation. On Wednesday night, in an attempt to quell the mob, she posted a defense of herself on social media. That defense included a denial that she’d ever expressed any approval for the conduct of Whiteside and a text copy of the letter she sent to Howorth. It did not improve her situation. The mob was not quieted.
The letter makes clear that she was writing as a member of the school board. It’s how she identifies herself at its opening. It also makes clear she is writing “on behalf of” Whiteside, while relaying positive experiences with Whiteside and her family and asking for Howorth’s consideration. So no, it did not say “I support what Lindsey did,” but it did convey “I support Lindsey,” even though Henley knew Whiteside was an admitted child sexual predator. You can judge for yourself. Per Henley, her letter read:
“To the Honorable Judge Andrew K. Howorth,
My name is Michele Henley. I am a mother and member of the DeSoto County School Board. I am writing on behalf of Lindsey Whiteside. I have known the Whiteside family for many years. However, in the past five years, I have had the privilege of getting to know them better. Being on the school board, I got to know Gayle better, as well as her children. Four years ago, I asked Gayle if Lindsey would coach my daughter in basketball because she wanted to try out for the middle school team. Lindsey gladly agreed. She worked one-on-one with my daughter to practice and improve her skills. Lindsey was always encouraging, supportive, and helpful during their training sessions. She continuously gave my daughter pointers on how to improve her game while encouraging her every step of the way. When my daughter made the team, we sent Lindsey a text to tell her. She was so excited for my daughter and, again, encouraged her to keep working hard to get better every day. Middle school can be hard for a young person. I am happy to say, Lindsey’s encouragement and support helped my daughter, not only make the team, but have a wonderful middle school experience.
Thank you for your time and consideration.”
That apparently 10 other members of DeSoto County Schools’ faculty felt inclined to offer Whiteside support is disturbing. The message sent to parents and children under their care is one of condoning sexual violence toward students — of siding with a predator over a child victim. It’s not a message that inspires confidence that faculty has the safety and protection of their students at heart.
Superintendent Uselton Responds with Meaningless Word Salad
On Thursday, October 16th, the DeSoto County School Board will meet at 10 a.m. Preempting the meeting, DeSoto County Superintendent Corey Uselton released a letter attempting assuage families’ anger.
In it, Uselton wrote:
”Every child deserves in an environment where they are safe, valued, and respected, and that belief is at the heart of every decision that is made.”
So far so good. So there will be consequences for the people who would support an admitted pedophile, right? The word salad that followed sadly suggests otherwise:
”Even when employees’ personal opinions do not align with the district’s values, school districts are bound by employment laws that protect due process and clearly define when and how disciplinary action can be taken. With that being said, complying with employment laws does not mean that DeSoto County Schools agrees with or supports the actions of any employee whose behavior conflicts with our core values.”
Translation: “we’d like to make your kids feel safe and agree with you, really, but don’t expect too much of us.”
If there was a “horses—t” button at the ready, I’d be pounding it hard on the attempt to hide behind labor law here. If faculty wrote these letters, they’ve lost the trust of the families they serve and are no longer in a position to do the job. They should be terminated.
Families should show up Thursday to demand accountability. If school leaders are unwilling to protect our children, someone must.
