Man Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman Near Prairie Path In 2018

WHEATON, IL — A jury convicted a man Thursday in connection with the 2018 sexual assault of a woman near the Illinois Prairie Path.

Robert Davison, 44, was convicted of one count of unlawful restraint and 12 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault after a three-day jury trial.

Police were called to the DuPage PADS at 12:30 a.m. on May 18, 2018, after a woman was seen screaming for help. When officers got to the scene, they say the woman had cuts and scratches on her upper body and dirt on her face.

After an investigation, prosecutors say police learned that Davison had demanded sex from the woman as she was walking near Illinois Prairie Path. Davison is accused of then grabbing the woman by her hair, dragging her into the woods and sexually assaulting her.

Davison was arrested on May 20, 2018, and has remained in custody at DuPage County Jail since then.

"Survivors of sexual assaults face a long, difficult road to recovery,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release.

Berlin added, “The physical and emotional damage inflicted upon them can leave survivors to suffer not only at the time of the assault, but possibly for years to come. I wish the survivor in this case the best and it is my hope that Mr. Davison’s guilty verdict will provide her some measure of solace as she moves on from this horrible assault."

Davison is set to appear in court again on March 7. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 90 years in prison.