by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm

GULFPORT (GG) — On Monday, August 24, 2026, Decruis Tatum of Biloxi pled guilty to sexual battery before Circuit Court Judge Christopher Schmidt and was sentenced to serve fifty (50) years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Tatum was the victim’s stepfather and had been in her life since she was a toddler. Police were  notified of the crimes by a family friend in whom the victim had initially disclosed the abuse. The family friend also took the child for medical treatment when they notified law enforcement.
Police scheduled a  forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Center, wherein the then-11-year-old victim disclosed that in  2024, Tatum came into her bedroom at her Gulfport home early one Saturday morning while everyone else was still asleep and began talking to her about sex. The victim disclosed that Tatum had questions typed in the Notes app on his cell phone, including, “What did you want to know about sex?” and “Do you want to start with the basics?”
After making sure that everyone else was still asleep, Tatum directed the victim to go into the kitchen, where the sexual assault occurred. The victim reported the assault the following evening and was brought to a hospital shortly thereafter for a sexual assault examination.
“The Gulfport Police Department obtained a search warrant for Tatum’s DNA for comparison with the victim’s rape kit. Results of the DNA analysis revealed that sperm was present in the samples  collected from the victim’s rape kit and was a match to Tatum’s DNA,” said Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Magee who prosecuted the case.
After accepting Tatum’s guilty plea, Judge Christopher L. Schmidt said during sentencing, “These are the kinds of cases, Mr. Tatum, that sink a person’s stomach with sickness. The raping of an 11-year old child ranks among one of the worst cases, maybe worse than homicide, because I don’t’ think you can  fix a person who rapes a defenseless child.”
Due to the nature of the crime, Tatum will be required to serve every day of the 50-year sentence in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections without the benefit of parole or early release.
“I want to commend the quick action of the family friend who made sure the victim received a medical examination and forensic interview. Those actions allowed the Gulfport Police Department and the Child Advocacy Center to preserve and collect critical evidence that ultimately helped hold this defendant accountable and resulted in him spending the next 50 years in prison. As for the defendant, I think the Judge’s words say it all,” said District Attorney W. Crosby Parker.