Rogers man receives 20-year sentence for girl’s sex abuse

BENTONVILLE — A Rogers man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting to sexually assaulting a girl.

Jerry Sowell, 51, pleaded guilty Monday to sexual assault and sexual indecency with a child. He was originally charged with rape but agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge under a plea agreement Stuart Cearley, Sowell’s attorney, reached with Tim McDonald, deputy prosecutor.

Sowell was arrested in June after the Benton County sheriff’s office received a report concerning Sowell sexually abusing a girl, according to a probable cause affidavit.

A 13-year-old girl was interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Benton County where she said Sowell had inappropriately touched her when she was 6 years old, according to the affidavit.

Sowell was interviewed by a sheriff’s office detective and said he wouldn’t inappropriately touch the girl while in his right mind, but he didn’t know what he would do while “blacked out drunk,” according to the affidavit.

McDonald read a victim impact statement on the girl’s behalf. She said she no longer trusts older men because she’s afraid they are going to assault her. She said she now feels more vulnerable and like an easy target.

Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green accepted Sowell’s guilty plea and sentenced him to 20 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Sowell must register as a sex offender and complete a sex offender treatment program. The judge also ordered Sowell to have no contact with the victim nor unsupervised contact with any minors.