Ocean Springs Middle School substitute teacher convicted of child sex offense

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WKRG) — A former substitute teacher at Ocean Springs Middle School has been sentenced to 40 years in prison, 20 of which he will serve, for child sex offenses, according to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.

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

According to the DA’s press release, Belcher was a substitute teacher at OSMS for less than a week in April 2023.

Belcher shared his Snapchat information with students in class and asked to be their friend on the platform.

An arrest photo of Keshawn Belcher (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office)

Once students became “friends” with him, Belcher sent videos of himself masturbating to multiple students and asked them to meet up and “cuddle,” the prosecutor said.

Belcher also asked the students to send back similar videos or to meet with him for “sexual purposes,” the district attorney’s press release said.

“During his guilty plea, Belcher admitted to kissing a 13-year-old student on the lips while the two were alone in a classroom,” the press release said.

Belcher was sentenced to 40 years with 20 years suspended. He will serve 20 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

During those 20 years, Belcher will have to serve day-to-day sentences, meaning he cannot be released early.

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