OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WJTV) – A former Oceans Springs substitute teacher has been convicted of sex crimes.

WXXV reported that Keshawn Belcher, 22, pleaded guilty on Monday, August 19, to one count of touching a child for lustful purposes and five counts of exploitation of a child.

A judge sentenced Belcher to 15 years for touching a child for lustful purposes. He was also sentenced to concurrent sentences of 40 years with 20 years suspended for each of the exploitation charges.

Once Belcher is released from prison, he will have to register as a sex offender.

Belcher, a former substitute teacher at Ocean Springs Middle School, was arrested in April 2023 and booked into the Jackson County Jail.

Keshawn T. Belcher (Courtesy: Jackson County Sheriff’s Department)

Ocean Springs police said an investigation was launched after a student reported Belcher. They said the case revolved around allegations that Belcher was sending inappropriate sexual content to students via Snapchat.

According to the indictment, the alleged incidents were committed against two female students and one male student at the high school.