A former Mississippi high school coach and teacher pleaded guilty Monday to the sexual battery of a student and child pornography charges.
Officials say 38-year-old Joshua Griffin, a Carthage resident, pleaded guilty in court to sexual battery of a mentally incapacitated person and two counts of possession of child pornography.
Griffin was swiftly given his sentence based on a plea deal, resulting in a 20-year sentence with 18 years suspended for a total of two years to serve. Additionally, he will serve five years of post-release supervision and pay $4,500 in fines.
Griffin was arrested for the crimes in April of 2022 when he was coaching multiple sports at Philadelphia High School. He was fired from Philadelphia shortly after, though he was later hired to a similar position at Wingfield High School in Jackson.
“We want to show that if you are a teacher or public employee, you cannot get away with something like this. We will go after you,” Assistant District Attorney Mitchell Thomas said in the announcement.
Court records say that Griffin and former Philadelphia High School principal Steve Eiland were accused of being complicit in the sexual assault and exploitation of a minor. A lawsuit brought accused Griffin of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old special needs student.
Previous inappropriate behavior was also reported, which Eiland had allegedly been aware of since the fall of 2021.
Along with the prison stint and fines, Griffin will be required to register as a sex offender, barring him from holding educator and coaching positions in Mississippi.
