A Warren County man has been sentenced to 60 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for sexual battery and statutory rape.

James Willie Ross Jr., 47, was indicted by a Warren County grand jury and charged with the crimes of three counts of sexual battery and one count of statutory rape of a child under the age of 14.

Ross, a registered sex offender, turned himself in to local authorities Jan. 8, ending a search for him that included several Mississippi counties.

Ross’ arrest was the result of an investigation after a tip that two children were being sexually abused at a home in Warren County.

The trial took place Nov. 13 and ended with a guilty verdict on all counts Nov. 15.

Judge James M. Chaney Jr., sentenced Ross to a total of 60 years, suspended five of those years and placed the defendant on five years post-release supervision after serving 55 years. Ross will serve the entire sentence without the possibility of early release due to the nature of the conviction.

“This was my third trial in 78 days dealing with the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14,” Warren County District Attorney Ricky Smith said. “I am pleased to have obtained guilty verdicts in all three cases and a total of 190 years in prison time for the three offenders.”

Smith also credited assistant district attorneys Angela Carpenter and Marcie Southerland for their help in preparing and trying the cases. 

“A special thank you also goes out to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, and specifically Stacy Rollison, for their work on this case,” Smith said. “Investigator Rollison’s diligent work in these child abuse cases is commendable.”

Smith also thanked the Southwest Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center for their work in this case “and in all their cases protecting the children of Mississippi.”