Crime

A child was molested during sleepovers, Harrison County sheriff says

By Robin Fitzgerald
Arland Omar Morris is accused of molesting a child several times when the child's mother, Morris' girlfriend, was not at home, Sheriff Troy Peterson said.
Arland Omar Morris is accused of molesting a child several times when the child's mother, Morris' girlfriend, was not at home, Sheriff Troy Peterson said. Courtesy of the Harrison County Adult Detention Center
Harrison County

A child was molested several times by her mother’s boyfriend when he was at her home and the mother was not there, Sheriff Troy Peterson said.

The mother had told the sheriff’s department a year ago, saying Arland Omar Morris of Biloxi, had stayed overnight at her home several times and Morris sexually assaulted her daughter when he was home alone with the girl, Peterson said.

The allegation led to the arrest of the now 40-year-old Morris on a sexual battery charge on Aug. 30, 2017.

Morris spent a night in the county jail before his release on a $100,000 bond, the jail docket shows.

Federal marshals arrested Morris at the Palace Casino on an arrest warrant Thursday, Peterson said.

A Harrison County grand jury has indicted Morris on the original charge and two new charges, including touching a child for lustful purposes.

Circuit Court Judge Roger Clark has ordered Morris held at the county jail with no bond.

Robin Fitzgerald, 228-896-2307, @robincrimenews

This story was originally published July 13, 2018 at 4:04 PM.

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