Man sentenced to 5 years for failure to register as sex offender in Lamar Co.

PURVIS, Miss. (WDAM) - A man was sentenced to prison last week after being found guilty of failure to register as a sex offender in Lamar County.

15th Circuit Court District Attorney Hal Kittrell announced that on September 8, 2023, 37-year-old William Joe Rasberry was found guilty by a Lamar County jury of failure to register as a sex offender.

Rasberry was sentenced as a habitual offender to the maximum sentence of 5 years to serve day-for-day in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

According to court documents, Rasberry was previously convicted of first-degree sexual abuse of an 8-year-old in Mobile County, Ala., and failure to register as a sex offender in Lamar County twice.

“The law requires convicted sex offenders to register their address with law enforcement in Mississippi. This law is meant to protect citizens,” Kittrell said. “This conviction today holds another sexual predator accountable. We appreciate the investigation on this case by the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office.”

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