A former law enforcement officer, who was indicted by the Sunflower County Grand Jury during its June 2019 session on a 2018 charge of touching a child, has been handed an eight-year sentence.
Michael Rance reportedly pled guilty and received an eight-year sentence with five of those years suspended and the remaining three years to be served out. According to court documents, Rance was 55-years-old at his initial arrest, and the child was under the age of 16, and the contact was for lustful purposes.
Judge Richard Smith sentenced him on an open plea in Sunflower County Circuit Court on Monday.
Court officials explained an open plea as what happens when the defendant wants the judge to determine what the sentence should be. The other option is to accept the plea recommendation from the state.
The judge can still reject the state's recommendation, but reportedly at least 99.98% of the time they accept the recommendation and sentenced them accordingly.
Based on information released by the Indianola police at the time of Rance’s arrest, the then 15-year-old child was allowed to accompany Rance on a shopping trip to Walmart because he reportedly was a trusted family friend. The touching incident allegedly took place at Rance’s home after he and the child left the store.
According to the documents filed in the Sunflower County Circuit Clerk’s office on October 2, 2019, Rance waived the formal reading of the indictment and then entered a plea of not guilty.
Rance was reportedly remanded into the custody of the sheriff’s department to await transport to the Mississippi Department of Corrections. A sentencing order and commitment papers from Judge Smith are needed first.
Rance’s confinement destination will be determined after he is processed. Greenville attorney Gaines S. Dyer was representing Rance in court.
