James Roger Davis II, the Columbia man convicted of sodomizing his 15-year-old daughter, was given the maximum penalty of two concurrent seven-year prison terms Tuesday.
Boone County Circuit Judge Gene Hamilton sentenced Davis, who had waived his right to be sentenced by the jury that found him guilty on two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy Oct. 9.
Prosecuting attorney Connie Sullivan, who had asked Hamilton to require Davis to serve the two sentences consecutively, said defense attorneys called eight witnesses to testify on his behalf.
“The defense attempted to portray him as a man with good character that deserved leniency,” Sullivan said. “The people that testified had not known him for very long, and no member of his immediate family testified on his behalf.”
In addition to his seven-year sentence, Davis, 35, must register as a sex offender and is barred from having contact with his children. Davis is awaiting trial on charges of second-degree sodomy and second-degree statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl. The dates for those trials will be set Jan. 5.
— Sean Gallagher