MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Former youth pastor and basketball coach Lindsey Whiteside is facing federal charges for allegedly transporting a minor across state lines to commit sex crimes.

The indictment, unsealed by a judge, accuses Whiteside of taking a minor from Tennessee to Mississippi and then to Georgia for the purpose of committing sex crimes.

Count One and Count Two accuse Whiteside of knowingly transporting an individual who was not 18 from Tennessee to Mississippi and from Mississippi to Georgia with the intent to engage in sexual activity in July of last year.

Count Three alleges from around May 2024 through November, Whiteside knowingly used a facility or means of interstate commerce, to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity.

State prosecutors say the minor was 14 to 15 years old at the time.

During her initial court appearance on Friday, Whiteside pleaded not guilty to the charges. She is expected to return to court on Tuesday for further proceedings.

DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle II revealed the federal case against Whiteside on Thursday. The announcement came days after Whiteside was sentenced to three years of house arrest after pleading guilty to sexual battery of a minor.

“I want to emphasize that crimes against children will not be tolerated in DeSoto County,” Tuggle said.

The sentence was followed by backlash from many Desoto County parents as well as the district attorney.

Sheriff Tuggle saying he hopes the new charges will bring healing to the community.

“My hope is that this is justice for the victim, closure for the family,” he said.

Judge Andrew Howorth would later recuse himself after District Attorney Matthew Barton called for a re-sentencing hearing.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WREG. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WREG staff before being published.