TATE COUNTY, Miss. — A Tate County man is behind bars charged with the unthinkable — sexual battery of child.
Corry Ratcliffe was arrested after a family member became suspicious and notified the sheriff’s office. Ratcliffe is being held without bond in the Tate County Jail. Investigators plan to present the case to the grand jury.
“It is very disturbing, because I have grandchildren and children of my own. So it’s a disturbing case,” Tate County Sheriff’s Detective Tony Rowley said.
Rowley would not give specifics of the case but said it involved a child under the age of seven. He said the case began when a family member noticed something on social media and brought it to the sheriff’s office.
Ratcliffe, who lives on Yellowdog Road east of Senatobia, was arrested Jan. 12 at his place of employment.
Investigators contacted Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center in Southaven, which serves DeSoto and Tate counties.
“We work with professionals within our communities that include law enforcement, child protection services, prosecution, mental health providers and medical providers,” executive director Sally Williams said.
While Williams cannot talk about the case involving Ratcliffe, she says her organization helps victims through a traumatic ordeal.
“When a child comes in for an interview here, it is a safe, child-friendly and neutral environment for that child to come into,” she said. “They’re allowed to come in and talk to our forensic interviewers and tell their story in their own words.”
In Mississippi you can call 1-800-222-8000 to report child abuse or neglect.