A former Mississippi youth pastor accused of using her position to groom a teenager under the age of 18 and transporting a child across state lines for illicit sexual purposes has accepted a plea deal, according to reports. Lindsey Aldy Whiteside, the former youth pastor of Getwell Church in Hernando, accepted the plea deal on Friday afternoon.
Whiteside pleaded guilty to one federal charge of transporting a minor from Tennessee to Mississippi with the intent of engaging in sexual activity with the child. The two other counts — knowingly transporting an individual under the age of 18 from Mississippi to Georgia for sexual purposes and enticing or coercing a minor — have been dismissed against Whiteside as part of the plea agreement.
The former youth pastor remains in custody, with sentencing scheduled to take place on Jan. 13, 2027. She faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, along with a possible $250,000 fine, according to Fox13 Memphis, and she could receive at least five years of supervised release; by the end of her supervised release, Whiteside must register as a sex offender.
Whiteside was previously indicted in 2024 for assaulting a child under the age of 18, and she later pleaded guilty in 2025 to sexual battery while in a position of trust and authority over a minor child. At the time, the former youth pastor and basketball coach at DeSoto Central High School was sentenced to three years of house arrest and court supervision.
Whiteside is accused of sexually abusing a minor during two church trips while serving as the victim's youth pastor. "The minor disclosed that on each of those trips, as well as several times a week during their association, there was vaginal and oral penetration by WHITESIDE," United States Attorney Clay