An ex-Coast cop molested a 5-year-old for months. He’ll serve less than 2 years in prison.

A former longtime Mississippi Coast sheriff’s deputy will serve less than 2 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 5-year-old child over the course of seven months.

Virgil Lee Moore, 84, was led out of a courtroom in handcuffs Friday after entering a guiltea plea on sex crimes charges before Special Judge Forrest Johnson.

Moore was accompanied by his attorney, Keith Miller, when he pleaded guilty to one count each of touching a child for lustful purposes and sexual battery. The Pascagoula man served as a Jackson County sheriff’s deputy under former Sheriff Mike Byrd for 11 years.

Prior to sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Lewis told the judge Moore had been previously investigated for sex crimes, but the cases never went forward after the initial reporting of the crime.

The cases fell through, Lewis told the judge, either because the alleged victims didn’t want to cooperate or were financially dependent on Moore.

In this latest case, Moore admitted molesting and sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl at different times between Jan. 1, 2018, and Aug. 20, 2018. He was about 80 years old at the time he committed the crimes.

The child confided in a church member about what had happened to her, resulting in a report on the crimes, Moore’s arrest and ultimately his indictment.

After entering the pleas, Lewis told the judge prosecutors took into account Moore’s age and long history of health problems and the wishes of the victim and her family not to go to trial “to spare the family the trauma of a trial and relive everything” when recommending a sentence in the case.

The judge followed the recommendation, sentencing Moore to a total of 35 years in prison on both counts, but then suspending all of the prison time with the exception of one-and-half years for Moore to serve behind bars.

In addition, the judge ordered him to serve five years under post-release supervision, pay $1,000 to Mississippi Children’s Trust Fund, court costs and to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Jackson County judges Kathy King Jackson, Robert Krebs and Dale Harkey recused themselves from presiding over the case because of Moore’s longtime service as a law enforcement officer in the district.

Moore did not offer any comment at the sentencing other than answering questions from the judge.