TEXARKANA, Texas–A man required to register as a sex offender in connection with a prior conviction for abusing a 7-year-old girl was indicted by a Bowie County grand jury Thursday for aggravated sexual assault of a child and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of children.
Kenneth Ismael Davenport, 69, has been held in the Bowie County jail since his arrest Jan. 23 on a charge of possession of child pornography, more than 50 images, and on Thursday he was indicted for that offense and for aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Davenport allegedly used a “makeshift sex toy” or a “writing utensil” to sexually assault a child who was under the age of 14 from November 1, 2001, to on or about September 30, 2003, according to an indictment handed up on Thursday. The age of the allegations mean that Davenport’s accuser in the sexual assault case is most likely an adult who has only recently reported alleged abuse to law enforcement.
Davenport was arrested following an investigation by Texarkana Texas Police Dept. detectives into cyber tips involving images of child sexual exploitation linked to Davenport and reported between July 22, 2024, and Jan. 15 of this year, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The images reportedly included a video of an adult man abusing two girls, one under 10 years of age and the other under 17, according to a probable cause affidavit. Another image allegedly depicted a nude girl under the age of 10 with her legs tied to a bed. According to the affidavit, a cyber tip received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified more than 800 files of suspected child sexual abuse material allegedly uploaded by Davenport.
Arkansas court records show that Davenport was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape in Texarkana, Ark., in Miller County in April 2004. At that time, Davenport was ordered to register as a sex offender. Court records in Bowie County show that Davenport was sentenced to a five-year prison term for sexual misconduct with a child in 1984.
Both of the charges currently facing Davenport in Bowie County are punishable by five to 99 years or life in a Texas prison, if there is a conviction.
Bond for Davenport on the pornography charge has been set at $150,000. Bond information for Davenport on the aggravated sexual assault charge was not available Thursday evening.
Davenport’s case has been assigned to Fifth District Judge Bill Miller. Davenport is represented by the Bowie County Public Defender’s Office.
