Defendant Already On Probation For Public Indecency Found Guilty In Coventry Sex Assault Case

COVENTRY, CT — A man already on probation for public indecency has now been convicted of sexual assault.

Craig P. Nowak, state’s attorney for the Tolland Judicial District, announced Friday that a jury in Rockville Superior Court a day earlier found Deric A. Clarke, 43, of Waterbury, guilty of first-degree sexual assault.

Judge Tejas Bhatt presided over the trial.

According to the announcement, evidence at trial showed that Clarke sexually assaulted the victim in the case in Coventry in 2020. DNA evidence, in conjunction with witness testimony, linked Clarke to the crime, Nowak said.

Clarke was on probation at the time of the offense for crimes of public indecency and breach of peace, Nowak said.

In addition to the jury's guilty verdict, Judge Bhatt found that the defendant had violated his probation due to the testimony presented at his criminal trial.

Clarke is being held on bond while awaiting sentencing for his criminal conviction and violation of probation, he added.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 5 in Rockville.

Nowak prosecuted the case with the assistance of Inspector John DiVenere, the Manchester and Coventry police departments and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Forensic Science Laboratory.