DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton is calling for the resignation of a school board member after she issued support for a former youth pastor who pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a minor.

After pleading guilty, Lindsey Whiteside was sentenced Oct. 13 to three years of house arrest and seven years of probation. She must also register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors were seeking a 30-year sentence for Whiteside.

Barton said a letter of support for Whiteside written by DeSoto County Schools board member Michele Henley may have contributed to the sentence.

"When people in prominent positions like Michele Henley, a vice principal, teachers, and church members write letters to the judge, it creates a safety net for the sentencing judge to deviate from every acceptable measure o

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