45-Year-Old Pearl Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Battery and Gratification of Lust of a 15-Year-Old

Rankin County – Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that Steven Joseph Tatum, 45, pled guilty to Sexual Battery and Gratification of Lust of a 15-year-old girl. 

The Honorable Judge Dewey Arthur sentenced Tatum to thirty (30) years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for Sexual Battery, with fifteen (15) of those years to be served day for day without the possibility of parole or early release. The Honorable Judge Arthur further sentenced Tatum to fifteen (15) years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for Gratification of Lust. These sentences will run concurrently. Upon his release, Tatum will be placed on supervised probation for an additional 5 years and will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. 

On April 15, 2024, the victim’s parents learned that Tatum had sexually abused their daughter. Upon reporting this to the Pearl Police Department, the Pearl Police Department began an extensive investigation, which included obtaining search warrants for digital evidence and a forensic interview of the child by the Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center. This forensic interview process allows trained specialists to gather information from child victims in a manner that minimizes additional trauma. Not only did the investigation reveal that Tatum sexually abused the child, but it also uncovered Tatum’s manipulation of the child through electronic communication. 

“We stand with the Pearl Police Department in the fight to protect our children and hold their abusers accountable,” stated District Attorney Bubba Bramlett. “We appreciate their diligent efforts as well as the Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center who helped us bring this child predator to justice.” 

Defendant: 

Name: Steven Joseph Tatum 

Date of Birth: 5/1/1979 

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