Jan. 23—ABERDEEN — The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office is ready to take a former Amory High School teacher to trial in February, just months after the man was convicted by a federal jury of sexually exploiting students over a 10-year period.
The trial of Toshemie Wilson, 48, of Wren, is scheduled to begin Feb. 12 at the Monroe County Circuit Courthouse in Aberdeen. Wilson’s court appointed public defender, Christopher Bauer, filed a motion Monday asking the trial to be postponed while he awaits the transcript of the federal trial.
Wilson is accused of, over a 15-year period, giving juvenile male students cash and drugs and then recording them while they performed sex acts either alone or with a blow-up doll over. In the summer of 2022, a Monroe County grand jury handed down a 22-count indictment that included human trafficking — procuring the sexual servitude of a minor, gratification of lust and child exploitation.
The state was ready to go to trial in February 2023, but was continued several times after Wilson fired his attorneys and then refused to hire new representation. Circuit Judge Kelly Mims appointed Bauer to represent Wilson in June 2023.
Court documents have released few details of the alleged crimes and the victims have only been identified by initials.
Late last week, Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Brown filed a motion saying the state planned to introduce “prior bad acts” by Wilson into evidence at the upcoming trial. The state argues that these statements, comments, or actions show motive, intent, preparation and planning on Wilson’s part.
Among the acts, Wilson allegedly threatened to poison one victim’s dog if the victim told anyone what was going on. In addition to buying marijuana and beer for another victim, Wilson paid the juvenile to come to his house and mow his yard while shirtless.
On Monday, the state issued subpoenas ordering investigators and all nine victims to be at the Monroe County Courthouse on Feb. 12 and to be prepared to stay all week.
The same day, Bauer filed a motion for the defense asking that the trial be continued.
Bauer has represented Wilson on the state charges since June 2, 2023, but was not present at the federal trial. In the motion for continuance, he said he was not aware the trial had even happened until prosecutor Brian called him on Dec. 28, 2023.
He argued that since the state and federal cases came out of the same facts and circumstances, they have substantial overlap. That includes many of the same witnesses and victims. Without a complete review of the federal proceedings, he would not know specific facts and testimony or be able to adequately cross examine witnesses who testified in the federal trial. The transcript of that trial, which ended Dec. 18, 2023, has not been filed.
In the federal case, Wilson was found guilty of eight counts of using students to produce sexually explicit material. When he is sentenced, he is facing anywhere from 15 years to 240 years in a federal prison. The total number of years could be reduced if the judge decides to let some of the sentences run concurrently. U.S. District Judge Debra Brown has scheduled sentencing for April 3 in Greenville.
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