JACKSON COUNTY — A former JROTC instructor at St. Martin High School has been arrested and charged under Mississippi’s new child grooming law following allegations of inappropriate conduct with a student, authorities said.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department arrested Lawrence Richard Dizon Jr. on March 4 and charged him with grooming of a child. The law, enacted in 2025, was designed as a proactive measure to protect children from inappropriate relationships with sexual predators.
Sheriff John Ledbetter said school administrators contacted investigators on Feb. 5 regarding allegations involving Dizon and a student. During the investigation, authorities discovered approximately 1,200 text messages exchanged between Dizon and the alleged victim.
Dizon was terminated from his position at St. Martin High School following the allegations.
On March 4, Dizon appeared before Keith Miller for a probable cause hearing in Jackson County Circuit Court. After the hearing, he was taken into custody and transported to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Adult Detention Center.
Bond was set at $35,000, and the case was bound over to await action by a grand jury.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities said no additional details will be released at this time to protect the integrity of the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigative Division.
