Former deputy in training sentenced

DALLAS — A former Parmer County sheriff’s deputy in training was sentenced to life in federal prison Friday, following his conviction last November for transporting minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The sentence for Davin Seth Waters, 26, was announced by U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox.

“This life sentence confirms the important message that exploiting children in any form will not be tolerated,” Cox said in a news release. “While this sentence will not repair the pain and damage done to the victims, it will ensure that Mr. Waters will never have the opportunity to prey upon children of our community again.”

Attempts to contact Waters’ attorney were not successful.

An investigation into Waters first began in Texico, when a member of the local First Baptist Church reported Waters had sexually abused a child. The release said Waters admitted to unlawfully touching an 8-year-old on multiple occasions.

Waters lived in Farwell at the time, and also owned a martial arts studio in Bovina. He was terminated from his position with the sheriff’s office when the charges came to light and had been with the office for less than two months.

Parmer County Sheriff Randy Geries noted the charges did not stem from anything related to Waters’ time with the department, and declined further comment after saying he was dismayed initial media reports largely identified Waters by his law enforcement position.

Court records show:

• Waters admitted to sexual conduct with two children at his studio, one 13 and the other between 9 and 10 years old.

• Waters drove an 11-year-old and a 10-year-old from New Mexico to his home, where he performed sexual acts on both and gave the 10-year-old pills to induce unconsciousness.

The release said the investigation by the FBI’s Dallas field office indicated Waters had sexually exploited and abused seven youth in the greater Amarillo area. The investigation was aided by the Texas Rangers and the Curry County Sheriff’s Office.

During a two-hour hearing Thursday, the court heard how Waters leveraged his various positions of power and that many of his victims feared physical harm.

United States District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk handed down the sentence in the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Taylor.

“Today’s life sentence demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to holding sexual predators accountable for their crimes and removes a dangerous threat from our community,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “We will continue working with our partners to ensure that children are protected from abuse and exploitation.”