Fifteenth Circuit Court District Attorney Hal Kittrell announces that Justin Codey Herrington, a former police officer with the Columbia Police Department, was convicted at a trial on the charge of Sexual Activity between Police Officers and Offenders Incarcerated in Correctional Facilities or on Correctional Supervision. The trial, presided over by Judge Prentiss Harrell, concluded on August 10 when a Lamar County jury found Herrington guilty of prohibited sexual activity occurring in Lamar County, Mississippi. the Court elected to take Herington into custody while awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled to occur on August 30, 2016 at the Pearl River County Courthouse in Poplarville. Due to his conviction, Herrington is facing a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a five thousand dollar fine.
Herrington is also facing identical charges relating to prohibited sexual activity occurring in Marion County. Currently, the Marion County trial is set to go forward on January 23, 2017.
The case was investigated by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistand District Attorney Lindsay G. Watts and Assistant District Attorney Doug Miller.
