A former gymnastics teacher in Massachusetts has been charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, officials said.
Dewayne Davenport, 53, of Danvers, was arraigned Wednesday in Superior Court in Salem and pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.
Prosecutors say the alleged crimes date back to the early 2000s, when Davenport worked for Yellow Jackets Gymnastics in Danvers and Palaestra Gymnastics Academy in North Andover.
Yellow Jackets — a four-decade-old institution described on its website as a “leader in youth gymnastics programming throughout Boston’s North Shore” — offers instruction for athletes from 18 months to adulthood.
A spokesperson for the academy told the Boston Globe that Davenport was no longer working at Yellow Jackets when new owners and management took over in 2011 and has not worked there since.
Palaestra Gymnastics has since closed, according to the district attorney’s office.
Davenport was released on personal recognizance Thursday and is required to stay away from and have no contact with any alleged victims and witnesses.
He’s expected to return to court for a compliance hearing Oct. 2.
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