MS - Former Gautier police officer (Robert Brian Hill) indicted on sex-crime charges

Robert Brian Hill

Original Article

02/20/2012

By MARGARET BAKER

PASCAGOULA -- A Jackson County grand jury has indicted a former Gautier police officer of 12 counts of touching of a child for lustful purposes and three counts of sexual battery, according to court records.

Robert Brian Hill, 44 and a 13-year veteran police officer, first was arrested in September on the 15 felony charges accusing him of having sex with a minor or touching her inappropriately while in a position of authority.

The alleged incidents, all involving a minor under the age of 14, occurred at different times between March 1 and July 3. At the time of his arrest in September, Hill had worked in Gautier for three years. Pascagoula police officers assisted Gautier in the investigation.

Hill had worked for two years as a patrol officer in Gautier. In May, he was assigned to work as an agent at the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County. Hill remained a narcotics agent until he was placed on administrative leave on July 17 as a result of the investigation into allegations against him.

Immediately after his arrest, Hill was taken to the Jackson County jail, where his bond was set at a total of $150,000. He’s currently out of jail on bond.

Hill is tentatively set to go to trial on May 7 in Jackson County, records show.

Prior to working in Gautier, Hill was a police officer in Philadelphia, Miss. Prior to that, authorities said he served as a law enforcement officer at agencies in Sebastian County, Ark., and in McNairy County, Tenn.