Sex assault draws 192-year sentence for ex-con
JEFFERSON COUNTY – A Edgewater man was sentenced Thursday to 192 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old Edgewater girl in June 2009 after his third trial on the charges. One previous trial ended in a mistrial and another ended when the jury could not agree on a verdict.
But a third jury Dominic Pearson, 26, found him guilty of two counts of sexual assault, one count of kidnapping and two counts of committing a violent crime counts on May 27. A Jefferson County District court judge 2010
The verdict is Pearson’s fourth felony conviction and he was found to be a habitual criminal at a separate trial the day after his conviction in the Edgewater case in which he
tried sexually assaulting the teen, who was staying overnight at a friend’s apartment.
The friend and Pearson lived in the same apartment complex at 2815 W. 24th Avenue. Pearson and a friend struck up a conversation with the two young women in the apartment complex parking lot. Pearson later bought them alcohol and they returned to the apartment where the victim was staying and began drinking., according to prosecutors. Pearson and his friend left around midnight, heading for a bar, leaving the victim and her friend, who went to sleep.
In the early morning hours of June 13, 2009, the teen awoke to find Pearson in her friend’s apartment and ordered him to leave, but Pearson attacked the teen and began punching and hitting her, according to investigators.
While the attack was continuing, the victim’s friend fled the apartment and called police.
Prosecutors said Pearson sexually assaulted the young girl and then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her from that apartment to his own apartment, where the assault continued, according to trial testimony.
When Edgewater police arrived at the apartment complex, Pearson became distracted, giving the victim a chance to escape through a window.
The day before the sentencing hearing the teen was honored by the District Attorney’s Office for her courage and bravery.
“All too often, in our business, we deal about the evil that man perpetrates on man. We must focus on the victims whose strength and spirits drive us on,” said District Attorney Scott Storey. “This teen is an inspiration to us all, not only did she survive the brutal attack, she lived to tell her of her experience, not once, but three times, to three separate juries. Sometimes we are frustrated with how the justice system works. But survivors like this courageous young woman are why we do our jobs.”
