Coventry Man Found Guilty Of First-Degree Sexual Assault

COVENTRY, RI — A Coventry man has been found guilty in the 2020 sexually assault of a woman in town, Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced in a news release Thursday.

Following the four-day trial in Kent County Superior Court, Austin Davis, 28, was found guilty of a count of first-degree sexual assault after prosecutors said he sexually assaulted a woman during a house party in Coventry in October 2020.

During the party, Davis sexually assaulted the victim while she was incapacitated, prosecutors said. She reported the assault to a hospital the following day.

Davis was arrested after Coventry police matched DNA from the victim’s sexual assault exam with him, officials said.

"We know that sexual assault is chronically underreported, with many victims suffering in silence," Attorney General Neronha wrote in Thursday's news release. "For this reason, each time we prosecute an offender of sexual violence, I hope it helps other victims remember that justice can prevail in these cases."

Coventry Police Chief Frederick J. Heise III added that he commends the victim's bravery throughout the process and that "justice was served in this case."

Davis is being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 5, according to officials.