Ervin Harris, left, and Damien Davis, right. Courtesy of Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Lee County sheriff’s deputies arrested two men last week in connection with similar but unrelated sexual crimes involving minors.

Ervin Harris, 64, of Winchester Drive in Sanford and Damien Davis, 39, of Garner each face multiple charges related to sexual activity involving minors. Davis was arrested on Dec. 14 in Wake County, while Harris was arrested Dec. 15 in Sanford.

According to Detective Bill Marcum of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, both cases came via grand jury indictment.

In Davis’ case, deputies began investigating in December of 2020 after receiving information that he had allegedly been sexually assaulting a minor between 2015 and 2019. His charges include first degree statutory rape, two counts of first degree statutory sex offense, statutory rape of a child 15 years or younger, and rape of a child. Davis is currently in the Wake County Jail and awaiting transfer to Lee County under $2 million secured bond.

As for Harris, deputies began investigating in October after receiving a report from the Lee County Department of Social Services that he had been “engaging in sexual behavior over several months with a 14 year old child.” He faces seven counts of statutory rape of a child under 15, seven counts of statutory sex offense of a child, seven counts of indecent liberties with a child, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was placed in the Lee County Jail under $1.4 million secured bond.