Kentucky man faces trial on new charges

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Trial has been set for a Kentucky man who reportedly retaliated against the juvenile victim in his Fayette County court case last year and broke a window in the Fayette County Jail.

Richard A. Davidson, 44, previously of Vine Grove, Ky., faces three criminal charges in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas for retaliation, a third-degree felony, vandalism, a fifth-degree felony, and criminal damaging, a misdemeanor of the first degree. Jury trial is set for April 12.

Davidson had resided in Kentucky, but had also lived in Charlestown, Indiana, according to court records.

It was when he lived in Charleston that he agreed to drive to Fayette County, Ohio, Dec. 1, 2016, to meet a juvenile in-person after making contact online. When he arrived in Fayette County around midnight that night, Davidson was discovered by the minor’s grandmother to be in the minor’s bedroom.

The incident was reported to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, and Davidson was charged and convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He was sentenced by Judge Steven Beathard to four years in prison on the charge.

Throughout that case, Davidson maintained he was innocent and said that he was not aware of the girl’s age, but during his final sentencing hearing, the grandmother of the juvenile victim spoke and said, “Your Honor, the man I found in my house that night knew exactly what he was doing that night.”

At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing Aug. 7, Davidson was escorted by the bailiff back to the Fayette County Jail next door at 113 E. Market St.

Reports filed by the sheriff’s office describes the victim and the victim’s family leaving the courthouse next, and as they walked on the sidewalk toward the parking lot just minutes after the conclusion of the sentencing, Davidson used a pop bottle to break a window pane from inside his jail cell.

Five witnesses reported they saw the incident and said Davidson was yelling and cursing at them, and directing comments at the juvenile victim.

One witness stated that they believed Davidson was trying to hit them with the bottle.

Davidson was restrained inside the jail at the time of the incident and placed in the “drunk tank” until he was sent to prison. He is currently incarcerated at Warren Correctional Institution. He has appealed that sentencing.

In the retaliation case, one final hearing before the April trial date is on the Common Pleas Court schedule March 12.

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Davidson charged with retaliation just minutes after leaving courthouse in sex case

By Ashley Bunton

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Reach Ashley at (740) 313-0355 or connect on Twitter by searching Twitter.com for @ashbunton and sending a message.

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