Gulfport man pleads guilty to touching of a child

Gulfport, Miss. – District Attorney W. Crosby Parker announced today that Rickey Roger McGill, 63, of Gulfport, plead guilty to touching of a child for lustful purposes.

Circuit Court Judge Randi P. Mueller sentenced McGill to 15 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with five years suspended, leaving ten years to serve.

Upon his release from prison, McGill was placed on five years of post-release supervision and to have no contact with the victim upon his release.

The case came to the attention of law enforcement after the victim disclosed to her mother that she was inappropriately touched by a relative.

“The Long Beach Police Department scheduled for the child to be interviewed by a trained child forensic interviewer. During that interview, the victim described the sexual abuse by McGill in further detail. Investigators were able to locate and interview other children who witnessed some of the abuse. A prior victim also came forward and disclosed that McGill had sexually abused her in a similar manner nearly two decades earlier when she was a small child”, said Assistant District Ian Baker, who prosecuted the case.

As a convicted sex-offender, McGill will be required to serve his ten-year prison sentence, day-for-day, without the possibility of parole or early release. Further, he will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and remain registered as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Judge Mueller also ordered that McGill not be allowed to be in the presence of any child under the age of 18 without supervision during his post-release supervision.