WOODLAND — The alleged sexual assaults on a teen boy inside a Davis library bathroom took place over the course of nine months, starting last June and ending when he filed a police report in late April, according to a criminal complaint filed this week in Yolo Superior Court.
The eight-page document charges Dennis Lee Azevedo of Davis with 14 felony counts including forcible oral copulation on a minor, sodomy of a minor by use of force, and allegations that the acts were committed upon a mentally, developmentally or physically disabled person.
Davis police say the incidents — seven in all — occurred in the bathroom of the Stephens Branch Library, 315 E. 14th St.
Azevedo, 59, did not enter a plea during a brief court appearance Wednesday, where Deputy District Attorney Jennifer McHugh announced that bail in the case had been raised from $150,000 to $1.65 million in light of the newly filed charges.
Defense attorney Vincent Maher, retained to represent Azevedo, asked that the arraignment hearing be postponed until May 19 to give him an opportunity to meet with his client at the Yolo County Jail.
Commissioner Kent O’Mara set the new court date and also granted a protective order instructing Azevedo to refrain from contacting the alleged victim in any manner.
Both Maher and McHugh declined to comment as they left the courtroom.
Police arrested Azevedo on Saturday, a day after issuing a news release about the alleged assaults and seeking information about a possible suspect. Investigators have not publicly disclosed how they linked Azevedo to the case.
There do not appear to be additional victims, police say.
Azevedo’s arrest stunned and distressed some residents of his Central Davis neighborhood, where he is known for tending to his gardens, feeding stray cats and helping out his elderly neighbors.
“He’s a really nice person. He’s always been really generous with the community,” said one woman, who asked not to be identified. At the same time, “I understand the concern. You need to be concerned about this sort of thing.”
Another neighbor described Azevedo as “just a really kind, sweet, lovely person,” and expressed concern that he is not being treated as innocent until proven guilty.
“They’re acting like he’s a criminal, and we don’t even know if that’s true,” said the woman, who also wanted her name withheld. “It’s like a witch hunt — who knows what really happened?”
News of the alleged incidents and the subsequent arrest also came as a shock to patrons waiting for the library, a popular gathering place for youths and adults alike, to open earlier this week.
“I wouldn’t have thought that would happen here,” said Madeline Brattesani of Davis. A weekly visitor, Brattesani said she frequently took her two children to the library as they were growing up, and “I’ve never had any concerns.”
Another woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she’s cautioned her own children “to be more alert when they come here, but I won’t stop them from coming, and it won’t prevent me from using the library.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene