RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A Pearl man was sentenced to 25 years for sexual battery.

Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said Billy Joe Coker, 67, will serve 20 years of his sentence in prison. He will then be placed on supervised probation for five years.

Coker will also be required to register as a sex offender and will have no contact with the victim.

Richland police said they received a complaint from the victim’s family on May 5, 2022. Both the Richland and Pearl Police Departments investigated the matter.

The child told police Coker started abusing her when she was 14 and made her perform multiple sexual acts over four years.

Police said the victim’s family recorded Coker confessing to some of the abuse, but he denied the allegations and requested an attorney when officers picked him up.

Coker later pled guilty to sexual battery on April 11, 2023.