Danvers man facing indecent assault charges from when he was a gymnastics teacher

A Danvers man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.

The allegations against Dewayne Davenport, 53, date back to the early 2000s, authorities said, when he worked as a gymnastics instructor at Yellow Jacket Gymnastics in Danvers and the now-closed Palaestra Gymnastics Academy in North Andover.

Davenport was no longer working at Yellow Jacket when new owners/management took over the business in 2011 and hasn’t since, according to a statement the academy shared with The Boston Globe. 

Davenport appeared in court on Wednesday and was released on personal recognizance with conditions not to contact any of the alleged victims or witnesses. 

He is set to reappear in court on Oct. 2.