A small town in Mississippi said they do not care that their Christmas parade grand marshal has been listed on the sex offender registry.
In two different states.
Convicted sex offender Michael Clay
Registered sex offender Michael Clay Saripkin, was chosen to serve as the grand marshal of the Christmas parade in Sardis, Mississippi. Saripkin has been convicted of at least five sex-related crimes since 1990.
Residents of the Mississippi town told local news that they saw no problem with the convicted sex offender’s role in the Christmas parade.
Owner of The Eclectic Emporium on Main Street, Carolyn Whaley, told WMC that everyone in town knew that Saripkin was a sex offender and it did not bother her that he had been chosen.
“He’s a very nice, friendly man,” Whaley said. “He has donated more money, helped the fire department, helped the police department, encouraged businesses to come here.”
Saripkin was convicted of sexual battery in 1990 and statutory rape in 1997 and 1998 in Tennessee. He was also convicted of touching a child for lustful purposes by a person of trust in 2013 in Mississippi.
Members of the Chamber of Commerce in the small town in Mississippi said that Michael Saripkin had brought business to the area and argued that his past actions were not as relevant as his current actions.
However, at least one resident in Sardis was quite bothered by Saripkin’s past. “I didn’t like it,” a man who asked not to be identified told a local news outlet. “I don’t think it’s very proper for a sex offender to be a grand marshal of a parade and I just thought it was wrong.”
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