AUBURN — A former Wells College safety sergeant and Moravia girls softball coach accused of sexually abusing a minor has been found dead, the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office said.
David A. Hewitt, 61, of Aurora, who was arrested in March for allegedly engaging in sexual contact with a 16-year-old and sexually assaulting them for four years, was supposed to be in Cayuga County Court for a conference on Thursday. There, his attorney, Rome Canzano, confirmed Hewitt's death to the court.
Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV that New York State Police found Hewitt's body on Wednesday. Due to his death, the charges he faced — first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child (a class B felony) and use of a child in a sexual performance (a class C felony) — have been dropped.Â
Dr. Adam Duckett, the Cayuga County coroner, told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV that an official cause for Hewitt's death will be determined in the next few weeks.
Wells College previously told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV that Hewitt was immediately terminated from his role as campus safety sergeant after the college was notified of his arrest.
According to Ë®¹ûÅÉAV's archives, Hewitt was also a retired corrections officer and coached Moravia High School girls softball in the late 2010s.
