Child testifies about ‘secret handshake’
Man accused of sexual misconduct with 6-year-old; trial continues today
NEW BOSTON, Texas—A verdict could come today in the trial of a man accused of sexual misconduct with a 6-yearold girl in 2013.
Bowie County First Assistant District Attorney Mike Shepherd rested the state’s case against 21-yearold Strodney Deron Davis mid-afternoon Wednesday after a jury of eight women and four men heard testimony concerning allegations that Davis engaged in sexual conduct with a 6-year-old relative in June 2013.
The alleged victim, who turned 10 in July, testified that Davis taught her a “secret handshake” that involved inappropriate touching which allegedly occurred when Davis was visiting her family’s home in Wake Village, Texas, in Bowie County from June 23, 2013, to June 28, 2013. The girl told the jury Davis also encouraged sexual conduct while she and her family were staying in a Little Rock, Ark., hotel around the same time, under questioning from Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter.
The girl’s father told the jury his daughter came to him on a July 2013 evening and disclosed her secret. The father said he immediately involved his wife and together the couple reported the alleged abuse to Wake Village police. Texas A&M police officer Christy Whisenhunt, who was working as a detective for Wake Village in 2013, testified that Davis and his mother agreed to come for an interview but never showed.
Under cross examination by First Assistant Public Defender Will Williams, the girl politely and calmly answered questions about inconsistencies in her answers to questions to a videotaped interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Texarkana in July 2013. During the interview, the girl, then approaching her 7th birthday, seemed slightly confused when asked how old she was when Davis first allegedly engaged in sexual contact with her.
Drawings the girl made
during a forensic interview with CAC staff member Melanie Halbrook were shown to the jury. Halbrook testified under questioning by Shepherd that the girl, “showed no signs of coaching,” during the interview and said young children can become confused about specific dates while they are able to describe other details accurately.
Williams questioned Halbrook at length about differences between the girl’s testimony in court Wednesday and statements made during the forensic interview in 2013.
After the state rested, Williams called three defense witnesses. The witnesses, Davis’ uncle and brother, and two family friends, testified that Davis never displayed inappropriate behavior with other children as a child or as an adult. All described Davis as a good person and expressed disbelief that he is guilty of the alleged criminal conduct.
Williams is expected to call additional defense witnesses this morning though he has not indicated whether Davis will testify. Once the defense rests its case, the state has the option of calling witnesses to rebut defense witness testimony. After both sides have closed their cases, the jury will hear instructions on the law they must follow from 202nd District Judge Leon Pesek Jr. before hearing closing arguments.
Davis is charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. He is currently free on a $40,000 bond.