Scottdale man sentenced for indecent assault of a children after no-contest plea
A Scottdale man was sentenced to up to 13 years in prison after pleading no contest to five of 24 counts involving the sexual assault of three minor girls.
On Monday, James Edward Bowman II, 30, entered the plea to charges of aggravated indecent assault of a child, two counts of corruption of minors and two counts of indecent assault before Fayette County Senior Judge Gerald Solomon.
The charges stem from an incident in Everson where three girls — ages 9 and 10 — told police they were falling asleep watching a movie on Oct. 1, 2016, when Bowman began touching them, according to court documents.
He also watched the girls changing their clothes, played inappropriate movies, touched himself and searched lewd terms on one of the girl’s tablets so she would see explicit images.
In exchange for the plea on the most serious offenses, the remaining charges were dropped by the commonwealth.
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Casini said some of those charges including rape of an unconscious victim and rape of a child would have been dropped if the charges would go to trial because intercourse had not occurred.
Solomon sentenced Bowman to serve 6½ to 13 years in a state correctional institution and to register for life as a sexual offender.
Bowman had been lodged in the Fayette County Prison since Jan. 31.