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Davis
Preparing evidence against an alleged Nederland pedophile accused of sexually assaulting a young boy from 2007 to 2013, Jefferson County prosecutors told a local judge Jan. 18 they needed six weeks before they’d be ready for trial.
Lonnie Carlston Davis, 52, appeared with his attorney Tom Kelley, before Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens Wednesday morning.
A grand jury indicted Davis in September 2021 on two counts of indecency with a child, sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child and continuous sex abuse of a child.
According to a probable cause affidavit penned by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Detective Matt Gardner, who received the case file in March 2020, “The complainant identified the suspect as Davis (and) being a close family friend. In the summer of 2005, the complainant (who the affidavit describes as a ‘young boy’) was living at (a Nederland address) with his family. The complainant’s father used to have parties at their residence with friends.
“The (boy) went to bed at night while a party was going on and woke up to Lonnie in his bed. The complainant woke up to discover his pajamas had been removed. Lonnie was performing oral sex on the complainant. The complainant sat up, and Lonnie said, ‘I’ll be back.’”
Several days later, the boy woke up again to find Davis’ hand on his genitals. The boy immediately scooted away from his assailant, according to the document. The hallway light then came on, causing Davis to jump out of bed and leave the room.
“A couple of months later, the (boy) was asleep in his sister’s loft bed,” reads the affidavit. “He woke up with his pajama pants pulled down below his knees. Lonnie was performing oral sex on the complainant.”
Sometime later, Davis moved to Austin, where the victim’s mother would take the boy to visit in 2006. There, the boy woke up on Davis’ couch with the man again assaulting him.
The next incident happened at the complainant’s residence in Nederland. This time, a 35-year-old Davis brought his Playstation for his victim to play. When the two were left alone at the victim’s home, Davis took the opportunity to grope the boy’s genitals.
The affidavit doesn’t describe any abuse between 2006 and 2011 – when Davis allegedly took his victim to a 3 Doors Down concert at Ford Park before the man again groped the boy. Detective Gardner detailed more sexual assaults bookending two local Godsmack concerts in 2012.
“The following day, Davis took the complainant to Gander Mountain in The Woodlands, where he bought the complainant a fishing pole,” Gardner wrote, explaining that Davis promised to get the boy what he wanted if Davis “got what he wanted.”
“They stayed in a hotel with two queen sized beds,” wrote the detective. “The complainant’s cousin and sibling were asleep in one bed, and the complainant was in the other bed with his mother and (Davis). The complainant woke up to (Davis) forcing the complainant’s hand down (Davis’) pants. (Davis) tried to pull the complainant’s pants off. The complainant rolled over and grabbed his mother. (Davis) acted like he was sleeping. The complainant fell back asleep.
“The complainant woke up a short time later to (Davis) forcing his tongue inside of the complainant’s mouth.”
The remainder of incidents happened at another residence in Nederland during the summer of 2013.
After beginning his investigation in 2020, Detective Gardner met with Davis Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, for an interview, writing of the experience, “I told (Davis) that he had been accused of having his hand on the complainant when the complainant’s mother walked into the room.
He said that was correct. I reminded him that the incident was alleged to have happened in January of 2014. He said that was correct. I told him there were allegations of other inappropriate behavior that had happened prior to that incident. (Davis) denied touching the complainant’s penis.
“I asked him why he thought that the complainant would fabricate allegations against him. He said he didn’t know. (Davis) said he thought he and the complainant were good friends. I reminded him that the complainant was a child, and he was a grown man when they were around each other. I told him it was unusual to be good friends with a child and being too close to a child could have led to inappropriate behavior.”
Davis reportedly said he thought that he and the victim had a good relationship, saying he was unaware of the incidents alleged in the four-page probable cause affidavit.
However, when asked if he knew about some of them, Davis said, “It could have happened. There were times when I was drunk at their house.”
When asked if he could recall one incident, he responded, “Well, I mean, yeah. I mean just improperly touching how someone could, you know, misinterpret that.”
Asked for clarification, Davis said he was referring to an incident when the victim’s mother caught the defendant with his hand on the boy.