Defendant flees from jury verdict in Gulfport

Gulfport, Miss. – District Attorney W. Crosby Parker announced today that a Harrison County jury returned guilty verdicts on one count of sexual battery and one count of touching of a child for lustful purposes against Jimmy Joe Davis late last week.

Davis (54), of Kentucky, was on trial for the sexual molestation of a seven  year old child. Davis, who was on bond, appeared and remained present throughout the trial.

However, as the jury deliberated late into Thursday evening, Davis left the courthouse, and failed to return to the courthouse after the jury had reached a verdict.

Circuit Court Judge Randi P. Mueller received the jury verdict in Davis’ absence, found Davis in violation of his bond, and issued a warrant for his immediate arrest.

During the three-day trial, the jury heard that Davis was living with a woman and her two minor children in a residence in Pass Christian.

Child Protective Services was conducting home visits on the family due to an unrelated complaint. During one of these home visits, the seven year old victim disclosed to the CPS case worker that “she had a secret with Mr. Jimmy and it was about something that kids were not supposed to do,” said Assistant District Attorney Ian Baker, who prosecuted the case for the State along with ADA Haley Broom.

Upon further inquiry by the CPS worker, the child disclosed experiencing multiple incidents of sexual abuse perpetrated by Davis.

The jury also watched the child’s forensic interview, performed at Canopy Children’s Advocacy Center, in which she again disclosed being sexually abused by Davis. “As the child detailed her experience to the jury, you could see the jurors physically react to what they were hearing,” said Baker. “The verdict in this case is the result of the partnership between Child Protective Services, Canopy Child Advocacy Center, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, and the District Attorney’s Office, who all demonstrated the teamwork, passion, and dedication necessary to achieve justice for this victim,” added Baker.

The Court will proceed with sentencing once Davis is located and taken into custody. Davis faces a possible sentence of life plus fifteen (15) years in prison on the charges.

Anyone with information about Davis’ whereabouts should contact Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898 or go to mscoastcrimestoppers.com.