A former Philadelphia High School coach is currently serving a two-year term for sex-related crimes at the Leake County Detention Center.
Joshua Griffin, 40, of Carthage, is still in the Leake County Detention Center on accusations of sexual battery of a mentally incompetent person and two counts of possessing child pornography, according to jail records.
Philadelphia Police Chief Eric Lyons said those convicted normally serve their time in a Mississippi Department of Corrections facility and not a local jail. Lyons said Leake County does contract with the MDOC to house state prisoners when extra space is needed.
Griffin accepted a plea deal on the counts in July last year, according to Assistant District Attorney Mitchell Thomas.
“We want to show that if you are a teacher or public employee, you cannot get away with something like this,” Thomas replied. “We will go after you.”
Griffin received a 20-year sentence with 18 years suspended, which means he will serve two years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He is not eligible for early release.
Griffin will be subject to five years of post-release monitoring and must pay $4,500 in penalties and court expenses. Thomas said any violation of these terms will result in Griffin serving the remaining 18 years of his sentence.
Griffin will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The sentence “ensures he will not be able to get a job as a teacher and cannot be around children,” Thomas said.
According to police, the inquiry began in April 2022, while Griffin was a multi-sport coach at Philadelphia High School. He was arrested on April 11, 2022, and his employment with PHS was terminated shortly thereafter.
Griffin was later indicted on the charges on Dec. 14 and was arrested again on Dec. 21 at Wingfield High School in Jackson, where he was working as a coach.
Leave a Reply