Convicted rapist held on charges of breaking into two Delray homes
A man convicted of raping a 79-year-old woman in April 2008 remains behind bars after he was arrested last week for allegedly breaking into the homes of two Delray Beach women in their 60s who were home alone, according to an arrest report.
Osc a r Rowell i s f a c i ng c har ge s o f bur g l a r y a nd grand theft and is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on $1.6 million bail.
Police said Rowell, 58, broke into t wo homes in Delray Beach about one block apart on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19, the report said.
In the Nov. 12 break-in, a 63-year-old woman told police she yelled at Rowell after seeing him on her property late in the evening. The woman found her back door open and her Prada wallet missing, along with $200, her iPhone and keys. The total value of the loss was $2,100.
A washcloth found outside the home later proved to contain Rowell’s DNA and tied him to the burglary, the report said.
A we e k a f t e r t h e f i r s t burglary, Rowell allegedly e nt e re d a not he r ne a r by h o me. T h i s t i me Rowel l confronted the unidentified woman, shoving her and striking her in the face before fleeing. The victim also had her purse stolen.
Rowell was arrested Dec. 9 after a forensic test found his DNA on the washcloth. The chances of the DNA not belonging to Rowell were 1 in 300 billion, the report said.
Rowell, who is registered in Florida as a sex offender, has spent much of his life in prison for convictions ranging from burglary to robbery, aggravated assault, perjury and escape. He has been arrested at least 23 times since 1975, court records show.
In 2008, The Post reported that Delray Beach police charged Rowell with the sexual assault of a 79-year-old woman after tying his DNA to evidence at the scene. Rowell was accused of breaking into the woman’s home, binding her with clothing and raping her twice before taking off with her car, police said in 2008.
Rowell served nearly five years in prison for the rape.