In what can only be considered one of the most deplorable violations of coach-athlete conduct of all-time, a South Carolina Special Olympics coach and high school teaching assistant has been arrested and charged with criminal sexual misconduct for sexually assaulting a special needs student.
As reported by The State and South Carolina CBS affiliate WLTX, 29-year-old Cornelius Davis was arrested and charged by police in Richland County, S.C. for allegedly sexually assaulting the same 15-year-old special needs student three times in just two days. While the sheer existence of the molestation charges are enough to make almost anyone shudder, the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident are even more disturbing.
According to The State, Davis told the victim's mother that he needed her daughter's help at a softball game which was to be held at Lower Richland (S.C.) High. Because the two had previously interacted with each other at Special Olympics events, the mother was didn't see the request as particularly odd, and agreed to let both her special needs daughter and her younger sister go with Davis, whom she assumed would serve as their coach.
Instead, Davis took both girls to his apartment, where he made the younger sister wait in the living room while he took the special needs teenager into his bedroom. He later told his alleged victim that he would harm her family if she didn't agree to perform the sex act he asked of her. Given that another member of her family was in an adjoining room, that's about as horrific a threat as any teen could ever face.
Disturbingly, Davis' arrest for the charges in Richland County follows just days after he was charged with a similar incident in nearby Mount Pleasant, S.C. In that case, the mother of one of Davis' students alleged that her daughter told her that she had sexual intercourse with her teacher while the two were in Mount Pleasant for a Special Olympics event.
In a third case, Davis allegedly fondled a student over her clothing at Brookland-Cayce (S.C.) High, where he is a teaching assistant.
If any of the incidents Davis is facing are true, the teacher and Special Olympics coach is a seriously, seriously sick man. Luckily, the 29-year-old is on indefinite administrative leave and will not be allowed on any school property, according to a Lexington attorney.
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