MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A former Old Town Middle School coach has been convicted of one count of sexual battery.

Madison County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said Marchenne Nyree Hatchett, 46, engaged with sexual contact with a then 14-year-old student while they were in school on February 23, 2023.

Authorities said the child’s mother became aware of the allegation and notified school personnel approximately one week after the incident. Officials with the school were able to pull video surveillance from the school that confirmed Hatchett and his victim were outside of the classroom during class time which corroborated the victim’s time line of events.

School officials turned the surveillance tapes over to the Ridgeland Police Department. According to authorities, the student disclosed that the contact had only occurred one time while she was in the former teacher’s class.

Hatchett was indicted by a Madison County grand jury in May for a single count of sexual battery and proceeded to trial Monday, September 18.

After hearing testimony from both the victim and school personnel, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty. Hatchett will be sentenced November 13, 2023.

He faces up to 30 years in prison. Hatchett will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.