The Sumrall man who was recently convicted of three counts of sexual abuse of a child will serve the next 45 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
Micheal Edward Sanford, 43, was sentenced on May 29 by Judge Brad Touchstone to 75 years, with 45 years to serve day-to-day in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Upon his release, Sanford will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
On May 14, Touchstone convicted Sanford of one count of touching a child for lustful purposes, one count of statutory rape and one count of sexual battery.
Hal Kittrell, who serves as district attorney for the 15th Circuit District – which covers Lamar, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Marion and Pearl River counties – said Sanford preyed upon and abused a minor child for approximately a year before Sanford left the home and the victim felt safe enough to report her abuser’s actions.
“I am very pleased with the sentence in this case,” Kittrell said in statement. “(Sanford) followed a common pattern of predatory behavior throughout the abuse of his victims. What started with suggestive messages sent over a phone screen to test the waters, became physical and sexual abuse of a child.
“Sanford then turned his words into actions and manipulated a vulnerable child to satisfy his pedophilic tendencies. This conviction delivers justice to the victim and ensures that he will never again hurt a child. We appreciate the work of the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office in investigating this case.”
The case was tried by assistant district attorneys Carpenter S. Marsalis and Kim Harlin.
