A Danvers man is facing indecent assault charges connected to his time working as a gymnastics teacher on the North Shore in the early 2000s, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.
Dewayne Davenport, 53, pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 in Essex County Superior Court on Wednesday, the district attorney’s office said in a press release. His defense attorney could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
Prosecutors say the allegations against Davenport date back to the early 2000s when he was employed as a gymnastics teacher with Yellow Jackets Gymnastics in Danvers and Palaestra Gymnastics Academy in North Andover — the latter of which has since closed.
The current owners of Yellow Jackets Gymnastics purchased the gyms in 2011, a spokesperson for the company said in an email Wednesday evening. By that time, Davenport was no longer working there. He has never worked for the gyms’ current owners in any capacity, the spokesperson said.
During Davenport’s arraignment, the judge released him on personal recognizance bail with conditions including that he have no contact with victims or witnesses in the case, the district attorney’s office said. He is due back in court on Oct. 2 for a compliance hearing.
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