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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, February 14, 2009

Football player charged in UH dormitory assault

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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A 21-year-old University of Hawai'i football player was charged yesterday with one count each of second-degree sexual assault and first-degree burglary in connection with a Sept. 28 incident on campus.

Bail for JoPierre Davis was set at $200,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning in District Court.

Davis is accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old UH student in her dormitory room early Sept. 28. Police said Davis showed up uninvited at a party in the woman's room and shortly after his arrival he squeezed the woman's buttocks, according to a police affidavit filed in District Court.

The woman asked Davis to leave but he refused, the affidavit said. She told police she later went to bed, but woke up the next morning and discovered Davis in her room, touching her and sexually assaulting her with his fingers, the affidavit said. The woman told Davis to stop several times and he swore at her, zipped up his pants and left, the affidavit said.

The woman said she later noticed that her key and camera were missing and that she suspected Davis of taking the items from her desk.

She told a roommate about the incident, but said she did not immediately report the assault because she was embarrassed and depressed and was worried it would affect her schooling, the affidavit said.

Four days later, the woman saw Davis laughing on a bench on campus. She felt "overwhelmed and angry at the sight of Davis," the affidavit said, and poured her latte drink on him and left.

On Jan. 18, the woman went to the Zanzabar Nightclub in Waikiki with some friends and while on the dance floor she felt someone "squeeze my ass," the affidavit said. She turned, saw Davis and slapped him in the face.

Police said Davis punched the woman in the face, cutting her lip and knocking her out. An employee at the club tried to intervene and Davis punched him in the mouth, the affidavit said.

This time, the woman reported the assault to police. On Thursday, police went to the UH campus and arrested Davis at the School of Architecture.

While he was being searched at the main police station, officers recovered a bag of what appeared to be marijuana and arrested him on suspicion of third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug.

The charges brought against Davis yesterday are in connection with the September case. Charges are pending in the case at the nightclub.

Davis, a 6-foot senior from San Francisco, has one year of eligibility remaining. The backup cornerback was suspended from the team for violating the school's Code of Conduct, although he remains on scholarship pending the outcome of a school investigation.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.