Rankin County Jury Finds 26-Year-Old Man Guilty of Sexual Battery and Gratification of Lust

Rankin County, MS - Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that James Matthew Gardner, 26, was found guilty by a Rankin County jury following a two-day trial last week. Judge Steve Ratcliff will sentence Gardner on June 23, 2025. Gardner is facing up to forty-five years in prison.

On September 19, 2023, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department received a call to a home regarding a juvenile sexual assault victim. It was reported that the abuse took place at the victim’s residence. The victim disclosed that Gardner was living at the home during the years of sexual abuse.

The victim and a sibling were interviewed by the Parker’s Children’s Advocacy Center in Pearl, Mississippi. The victim received a medical exam at the Children’s Safe Center in Jackson, Mississippi. Law enforcement interviewed the defendant and others, executed search warrants for electronics, the defendant's home, and the defendant’s vehicle, and took photographs. Additionally, law enforcement retrieved physical evidence from the house that the victim shared with the defendant. The physical evidence was sent to the Mississippi Forensics Lab for processing and testing.

The jury heard from the victim, the victim’s sibling, two investigators with the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, a nurse practitioner from the Children’s Safe Center who examined the victim, and two forensic scientists with the Mississippi Forensics Lab. Additionally, the defendant testified on his own behalf. 

After hearing the testimony over two days, the jury found Gardner guilty of one count of sexual battery and one count of gratification of lust. The potential penalty for sexual battery is zero to thirty years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The potential penalty for gratification of lust is two to fifteen years and a $1,000 to $5,000 fine. Gardner will be required to register as a sex offender and have no contact with the victim. Any sentence imposed on Gardner will be served day for day without the possibility of parole or early release.

District Attorney Bramlett stated, “This is a case where the victim lived with the unreported abuse by Gardner for years. We are thankful for the work of the multitude of agencies and law enforcement personnel involved in helping get this victim justice and getting this pedophile off the streets. Our office will continue to fight for and protect our children from abuse.”

Defendant:

Name: James Matthew Gardner 

Date of Birth: 01/14/1999

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