StarBulletin.com

Ex-UH football player guilty of attack


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POSTED: Friday, November 20, 2009

Former University of Hawaii football player JoPierre Davis pleaded guilty yesterday to charges that he punched a female student in the mouth at a Waikiki nightclub, knocking her unconscious. He also admitted to unlawfully entering her dorm room.

Davis, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal trespass, two counts of third-degree assault and marijuana possession.

The second assault charge involves another victim at the nightclub. When he is sentenced in January, Davis faces up to a year in prison for each of the misdemeanor trespass and assault charges and up to a month in jail for marijuana possession.

However, Davis also asked Circuit Judge Glenn Kim yesterday to give him the opportunity to have the charges dismissed by deferring his guilty pleas. Kim will decide whether to grant Davis' request at sentencing.

Davis was facing felony burglary and felony and misdemeanor sexual assault charges for allegedly breaking into the dormitory room and groping the woman in her bed in September last year and groping her again in the nightclub in February.

But under the terms of his plea agreement, the state agreed to reduce the burglary charge to trespass and to drop the sexual assault charges.

Davis played in all 14 UH football games last season on special teams and as a reserve cornerback. He was expected to compete for a starting cornerback spot this year until coach Greg McMackin suspended him from the team following his arrest in February. McMackin later kicked Davis off the team.