Meridian man convicted of sex crimes against minor

A Meridian man was convicted this week of sex crimes against a juvenile.

District Attorney W. Crosby Parker said 35-year-old Gary Rush was found guilty of sexual battery and two counts of touching of a child for lustful purposes by a Harrison County jury. The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before returning the verdict. Circuit Court Judge Randi P. Mueller deferred sentencing until next month.

According to court testimony, D’Iberville Police responded to a D’Iberville residence in 2019. A family member testified that she woke up and found Rush in the then 12-year-old victim’s bedroom with the lights off and the door closed. The family member testified she then hit Rush with a lamp and chased him out of the house and called 911.

Investigators learned Rush and his wife had been living with family members in D’Iberville. The victim testified that the sexual abuse began two weeks prior to the police being called. The victim said Rush would wait until night to enter the child’s room, sexually abuse her, and tell her not to tell anyone and that no one would believe her.

“The jury was also able to watch two different interviews the victim provided, one to an investigator and another to a forensic interviewer, where she consistently disclosed the escalation of the sexual abuse over the two-week period,” said Assistant District Attorney Billy Stage, who prosecuted the case.

“The victim showed amazing courage in participating with the investigation and telling the jury what this defendant did to her. The prompt response and investigation by the D’Iberville Police Department and the services provided by the Child Advocacy Center led to this defendant being held accountable for these acts. We hope the justice delivered this week helps the Victim in her healing,” said Parker.