Military Rape Crisis Center

The state Appeals Court has affirmed the rape convictions of a former chief officer with the Coast Guard in Provincetown, according to a Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office press release.

David Pierce, 46, of Sandwich was convicted on four counts of rape last year by a Barnstable Superior Court jury, but his three- to four-year sentence was stayed by Judge Gary Nickerson.

During Pierce’s sentencing, Nickerson said he was taking the step of allowing Pierce to be released on $50,000 cash bail or $500,000 surety because of the likelihood that the conviction would be overturned on appeal.

Pierce was found guilty of four charges of rape against the victim, who was his girlfriend at the time of the sexual assaults.

According to O’Keefe’s office, the trial judge has denied Pierce’s motion for a new trial. His sentence remains stayed “until the Appeals Court issues its official ruling in September,” according to the press release.