Jury convicts ex-Hopi ranger of sex assault

Mackenzie Davis, a former Hopi law enforcement officer, faces up to 23 years in prison after being found guilty by a federal jury in Arizona of sexually assaulting a woman in his custody in November 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

The jury also found the 25-year-old Davis guilty of destroying evidence to cover up the crimes, a DOJ news release stated.

Davis, a ranger with the Hopi Resource Enforcement Services in Navajo County, arrested the woman on Nov. 15, 2016, on suspicion of a DUI offense. Evidence presented at trial showed that during the near two-hour ride to a detention center in Navajo County, Davis pulled over to the side of the road and sexually assaulted the woman, according to the release.

In the indictment, authorities stated Davis touched the woman’s breast, put his mouth on her bare breast and photographed her bare breasts with his cellphone, against the woman’s will, and while she was handcuffed in the back seat of a patrol car.

Another witness testified that Davis acted the same way with her five years ago, when he was not a law enforcement officer, the release stated.

Davis was found guilty of a violation of civil rights, abusive sexual contact in Indian Country and destruction of evidence.

He was taken into custody and is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 24.

“Any law enforcement officer who uses his official authority to target and sexually assault a person in his custody will be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband, in the news release.