Ex-Gymnastics Coach Charged With Child Assault

Dewayne Davenport, a 53-year-old former gymnastics instructor from Danvers, Massachusetts, has been charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, with allegations linked to his early 2000s employment at Yellow Jacket Gymnastics in Danvers and the now-closed Palaestra Gymnastics Academy in North Andover. Davenport, who previously served as a state and regional chairman of USA Gymnastics, pleaded not guilty at his Salem Superior Court arraignment and was released on personal recognizance under conditions to avoid contact with alleged victims and witnesses. Prosecutors have not released further details about the alleged incidents but provided a list of people Davenport must avoid. Yellow Jackets Gymnastics clarified he has not worked there since new ownership took over in 2011. Davenport is scheduled for a compliance hearing on October 2. His defense attorney has not commented on the case.