A Poplarville man was found guilty of two counts of child molestation by a jury of his peers.
According to a release from the 15th Circuit Court District Attorney’s office, 49-year-old Clyde Eugene Williams of Poplarville was found guilty during the trial held this week in Pearl River County. Assistant District Attorneys Lindsay Watts and Lauren Barnes Harless were the prosecutors for the case. Sentencing on the conviction will take place next week on April 7. Williams faces up to 30 years in prison for this conviction.
The case was brought to the attention of the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department in July of 2012, according to previous coverage by the Item.
The victim reported the crime had been ongoing for three years, beginning when she was 14-years-old. Three months of investigation gathered enough evidence, including bodily fluids linking Williams to the scene of the crime, to lead to an arrest, the previous coverage states.
“We admire the courage it took for this victim to report these heinous crimes and her commitment in seeing her case through to the end,” said 15th District Attorney Hal Kittrell in the release. “We also appreciate the investigation by the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department. We are very pleased with the jury’s verdict and hopeful that a just sentence will be obtained next week.”