Executive Summary
- A federal judge in Memphis revoked the bond for former youth pastor Lindsey Whiteside, ordering her to be detained.
- Whiteside faces federal charges for transporting a minor across state lines for sexual activity, which carry a minimum 10-year sentence per count if convicted.
- The bond was revoked based on a legal presumption that her release could not reasonably assure community safety, which the judge ruled the defense failed to rebut.
- The federal charges follow a guilty plea to a related state charge of sexual battery involving the same victim.
- Whiteside’s federal trial is scheduled to begin on February 9, 2026.
A federal judge in Memphis, Tennessee, has revoked the bond for Lindsey Whiteside, a former youth pastor and basketball coach facing federal charges related to child sex crimes. Whiteside was taken into custody after the judge reversed a magistrate’s earlier ruling that had granted her release.
Case Background and Charges
Whiteside was arrested in October on federal charges of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. The indictment specifies that she allegedly transported a child from Tennessee to Mississippi, and subsequently from Mississippi to Georgia. These federal charges were filed shortly after Whiteside pleaded guilty to a state charge of sexual battery involving the same victim, for which she was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release, including three years of house arrest.
The two federal counts each carry a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison if she is convicted. According to her attorney, the bond revocation was based on a legal principle known as a “rebuttable presumption” under the Detention Act. This presumption holds that for certain serious crimes, including those involving minors, no set of conditions can reasonably assure the safety of the community.
Legal Proceedings
The defense attempted to rebut this presumption by presenting testimony from Whiteside’s mother. However, the judge ultimately ruled that the defense had not met its burden of proof and ordered Whiteside to be detained pending trial. Her trial is currently scheduled for February 9, 2026. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
