Homeless man sentenced for 2018 sexual assault near Wheaton trail

DUPAGE COUNTY - A homeless man convicted of sexually assaulting a woman near the Illinois Prairie Path in 2018 has been sentenced to 66 years in prison.

Robert Davison, 45, was sentenced on Monday following his January conviction on 12 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony, and one count of unlawful restraint, a Class 4 felony.

The case stemmed from a May 18, 2018, incident near a PADS shelter in Wheaton. Police responded around 12:30 a.m. to reports of a woman screaming for help and found the victim with visible injuries, including dirt on her face and scratches on her upper body. Investigators determined that Davison had approached the woman, demanded sex, and, after she refused, dragged her into a wooded area where he assaulted her before fleeing.

Davison was arrested two days later and has been in custody since. Prosecutors also presented evidence at the sentencing hearing that Davison had sexually assaulted another homeless woman in Oak Park just weeks before the Wheaton attack.

Robert Davison

"Sexual assaults are degrading and among the most invasive crimes a victim can be forced to endure," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. "Physically and emotionally, the damage caused by a sex crime can fester, leaving victims to suffer not only at the time of the assault but possibly for years to come. I commend the Wheaton Police Department for their outstanding work in identifying Mr. Davison as the man responsible for the horrific sexual assault of an innocent woman."

Davison will be required to serve 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.