Lucedale man sentenced to life in prison for sexual battery of a minor

Gulfport, Miss. – District Attorney, W. Crosby Parker announced today that 34-year-old Arqreuis Kordell Polk  of Lucedale, was sentenced this week by Circuit Court Judge Randi P. Mueller to two concurrent life sentences after being convicted of two counts of sexual battery of a minor.

In September of this year, a jury convicted Polk of sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy, over a period of several months.

During the two-day trial, the victim testified that Polk was hired by his step-mother as a live-in babysitter for the children while his step-mother worked nights at a local bar.

“The child testified that the sexual abuse began shortly after Polk moved in, and occurred on almost a nightly basis for a period of several months,” stated Assistant District Attorney Ian Baker, who prosecuted the case along with ADA Patti Simpson.

The victim also testified that he was repeatedly beaten by Polk, and was initially afraid to tell anyone what was happening to him.

The jury also heard testimony that the victim was developmentally delayed, and that the step-mother failed to initially report the abuse when the victim first disclosed the abuse to her.

The abuse was ultimately reported to Child Protective Services and then to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department by a counselor once the child disclosed the abuse to her.

In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Mueller stated that “the instances of abuse described by the child during his testimony were some of the worst she had heard during her time on the bench, and the State’s recommendation of a life sentence is appropriate and warranted under the circumstances of this case.”