Franklinton man convicted on two counts of child rape

According to the Office of District Attorney Collin Sims, a young brother and sister were taken in by 56-year-old Shannon Polkey after voluntarily leaving their mother’s custody in Pike County, Mississippi, when she lost their home in the summer of 2019.

The children lived with Polkey between the summer of 2019 and April 2022, during which time they were physically and verbally abused, being struck with paddles, forced to kneel on air conditioner vents and forced to stand with their foreheads pressed against the wall for extended periods of time.

The male victim, who was between the ages of 8 and 10 during the time of the abuse, told the court that he was forced to perform a sexual act on Polkey and that Polkey would inappropriately touch him.

The female victim, who was between the ages of 7 and 9 during the time of the abuse, testified that she and her brother would be sexually abused together and that she was forced to perform a sexual act on her brother while Polkey watched.

In addition to his conviction in this case, Polkey was also convicted of forcible rape of a juvenile back in 1987, receiving a sentence of 15 years in prison and the requirement that he register as a sex offender for life. Polkey, however, only registered as a sex offender in Mississippi, while he lived in Franklinton for years.

Polkey was found guilty of two counts of first-degree rape of children under the age of 13, one count of sexual battery of a child under the age of 13 and one count of failure to register as a sex offender.

The rape charges each carry a mandatory life sentence, while the sexual battery charge carries 25 to 99 years and failure to register as a sex offender carries two to 10 years. Sentencing is set for July 21.

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