A Newton man will serve a prison sentence of 12 to 19 years following his conviction for the sexual assault of a teenage female victim during Catawba County Superior Court on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
The Honorable Sherri W. Elliott, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed terms of the active sentence after 73-year-old David Ronald Jimison entered a guilty plea to statutory sex offense with a child 15 years old or younger.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. He also will be required to register as a sex offender and receive sex offender treatment.
The victim, now an adult with children of her own, contacted law enforcement in August 2025 about sexual assaults that took place when she was a child between 10-13 years old, with the primary acts occurring from January 2009 to January 2010 and thereafter.
She told investigators that the defendant forced her to watch pornography with him and then perform the acts they saw. The investigation also revealed that Jimison threatened to kill the victim if she told anyone.
During a custodial interview in October 2025, the defendant admitted to the offenses.
Samantha Smiley handled the investigation for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorneys Jessica Phillips and Kyle Smith prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Dea Crowe.