A Webster County jury will begin deliberating today on a Harcourt man charged with several sex crimes.

Matthew J. Davis, 42, is charged with four counts of third-degree sexual abuse and four counts of incest. His trial began March 22 and closing arguments wrapped up on Tuesday.

Davis is accused of having sexual contact with the victim on several occasions between 2019 and 2021.

The Messenger does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Davis, who owns manufacturing firm Davis Industries LLC, was arrested and charged in September 2021.

Throughout last week, the jury heard from the victim and several witnesses about the events that allegedly transpired. On Monday, Davis took the witness stand to give the jury his version.

When defense attorney Judd Parker asked Davis if he had committed any of the crimes he’s accused of, Davis’ answer was short — “No I did not.”

Davis gave an overview of the context surrounding the alleged abuse and remained adamant in his testimony that he is innocent.

In an interview with Webster County Attorney’s Office Investigator Larry Hedlund when he was arrested, Davis admitted to several of the acts he is accused of. However, during cross-examination by First Assistant Webster County Attorney Ryan Baldridge on Monday, he claimed to have been caught off-guard by the questioning at the time and didn’t understand what was happening.

“I was upside down and very confused,” Davis said.

Baldridge noted the times in the two-hour-long interview where Davis did deny the allegations.

“So you weren’t confused then, but you were when you said you did it?” Baldridge asked.

According to the transcript of the interview, Davis said to Hedlund, “I might have touched (the victim). I shouldn’t have probably done that.”

In another part of the transcript, Hedlund had asked if Davis’ behavior toward the victim was normal and Davis’ response was, “I’ll just say yeah.” When Hedlund followed up to ask how many times, Davis said, “Well, not very many.”

During closing arguments on Tuesday, Baldridge urged the jury to use their common sense when deliberating.

“Remember what the defendant got right,” he said. “He remembers the stuff that helps him, but not the stuff that hurts him.”

Baldridge told the jury to compare Davis’ testimony with the admissions he made during his initial interview, and compare that with the victim’s testimony.

In Parker’s closing arguments, he highlighted the wide span of time the offenses allegedly happened, and that for two of the counts, the exact date of the offense isn’t determined.

Parker also noticed inconsistencies in the victim’s testimony on the timeline of the events.

“I want you to take one thing away from this,” Baldridge said, closing his rebuttal. “It is the defendant that did this. It is the defendant who started this. This is the defendant’s fault. This is not the victim’s fault.”

The jury will reconvene at the Webster County Courthouse this morning to begin deliberations.

Third-degree sexual abuse is a Class C felony and carries a prison term of up to 10 years. Incest is a Class D felony and carries a term of up to five years.

In total, Davis faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted.