Brevard County, FL – Less than two months after his arrest on a felony sexual battery charge, the case against Pop Warner youth football coach Davarius Antwan Howard has been dropped. Prosecutors with the State Attorney’s Office for the 18th Judicial Circuit formally announced they would not pursue charges, citing insufficient evidence to prove lack of consent beyond a reasonable doubt.
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A court filing dated October 15, 2025, titled “Notice of No Information” states that the State of Florida “does not intend to file an Information” in the case. In criminal procedure, such a notice means prosecutors have reviewed the evidence presented by law enforcement but determined that the case cannot proceed to formal charges.
In an email statement provided to The Space Coast Rocket, Matt Reed, Communications Director for the State Attorney’s Office, clarified the decision:
“While there may have been sufficient evidence available to support probable cause for the arrest, we would not have a reasonable likelihood of success at trial in this case. There is insufficient evidence available to prove lack of consent beyond a reasonable doubt,” Reed wrote.
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He added that the defendant’s statements during recorded phone calls “were not sufficiently incriminating to warrant formal charges.”
Following the filing, Howard spoke out publicly and directly contacted The Space Coast Rocket, expressing frustration that the initial report had caused widespread damage to his personal and professional life. To be clear, Davarius initially contacted The Space Coast Rocket on Friday evening. Once the information was verified with the State Attorney’s Office on late Monday along with a statement from the prosecutor, and updated article was drafted.
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In a now deleted Facebook post, Howard wrote:
“The Space Coast Rocket [was] quick to make a story for publicity but when that story turned out to be false allegations it’s not important to them. Y’all even used bad wording to where people thought I was a kid. Quick to ruin a person’s life but not quick to post about false allegations.”
In messages sent to The Space Coast Rocket, Howard said he felt the investigation was one-sided and that his own evidence, including text messages and call records, was not fully considered before his arrest.
“I never gave my statement with the messages and proof as the detective pretty much already accused me of the crime,” Howard said. “There was no DNA. I was falsely accused of raping this lady which caused me to lose my job, which took food from my kids. I couldn’t coach my team. I received threats, my family received backlash. I almost committed suicide. This really messed up my life.”
Howard emphasized that the controlled phone call referenced in the arrest affidavit where he admitted she said “no” and apologized, actually supported his innocence, saying that it showed an ongoing conversation between two adults, not a confession.
“The recording phone call proved my innocence right along with text messages not even an hour after I left of her inviting me over,” he said.
Howard was arrested in early September following an investigation by the West Melbourne Police Department, which had alleged that a woman accused him of forcing himself on her in her apartment. The arrest affidavit included details from the woman’s statement and from three recorded phone calls arranged by detectives.
At the time, investigators said one of the calls included an apparent admission from Howard, where he apologized after the woman said she had told him “no.” That statement formed part of the probable cause used to secure his arrest warrant.
However, prosecutors reviewing the case later concluded that the phone calls were open to interpretation and not clear enough to prove criminal intent or lack of consent to a jury.
In a letter sent to prosecutors prior to the State’s decision not to file charges, Howard’s attorney raised questions about the accuser’s motives. The attorney alleged that the woman was facing eviction at the time of her report and suggested she may have sought relocation or financial assistance available to alleged sexual battery victims under Section 960.199 of the Florida Statutes. The attorney further claimed that she initially brought her allegations to the youth football organization where Howard coached before contacting law enforcement, arguing that this sequence “doesn’t make any sense.” In the correspondence, the defense asserted that her story contained inconsistencies and that her actions before and after the alleged encounter were “not indicative of a woman who was raped.” Howard has “steadfastly denied engaging in any non-consensual sexual activity,” according to the letter.
A Notice of No Information does not declare a person innocent or guilty—it means prosecutors are choosing not to file formal charges at that time. The State can re-file charges if new or stronger evidence emerges, though such decisions are uncommon once a case is closed.
For now, the case against Davarius Howard has been dismissed, and no active charges remain pending in Brevard County court records.
