BATAVIA, Ohio -- Brett Davis acted as a mentor to at least three young boys for nearly a decade.
But starting in about 2008, Clermont County prosecutors said, he was sexually abusing them during sleepovers at his Union Township home.
Davis, 40, was indicted Nov. 5 on seven counts of third-degree gross sexual imposition, six counts of fourth-degree gross sexual imposition, five counts of third-degree unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and five counts of third-degree sexual battery.
Now teens, the boys were ages 8 and 9 when the abuse is alleged to have started, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Scott O’Reilly said. And the boys' families trusted Davis.
"He was a parental figure for these kids in many respects," O'Reilly said.
The investigation and indictment came after one of the boys recently told a stepparent about the alleged activity, O'Reilly said. If convicted, Davis faces as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each third-degree charge, as well as 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine for each fourth-degree charge.
He also would be labeled a Tier III sex offender requiring registration for life if found guilty, O’Reilly said.
"You do have to be cognizant," O'Reilly said. "You have to be connected with your kids, and if something is going on, you need to have that line of communication that's going on between the parent and the child."
Investigators are concerned there could be more victims, O'Reilly said. Anyone who had contact with Davis should call the Union Township Police Department at 513-752-1230.
Davis is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 18.
