CLEARFIELD – A former DuBois woman was sentenced to state prison on Monday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl.
Mary Rowles, 30, pleaded guilty to indecent assault and endangering the welfare of a child. On the charge of indecent assault, Rowles was sentenced to one-to-five years in state prison. Upon release she is to attend sexual offender’s counseling, is to refrain from the use or possession of alcohol and controlled substances, is to have no contact with the victim and is to have no contact with any child under the age of 18. She is also to register as a Megan’s Law offender and follow those guidelines.
According to a prior Gant article, Rowles was charged after the child told a psychologist that Rowles touched her genitals.
Rowles’ husband, Jamie Rowles, 30, pleaded guilty to charges in several cases including the rape of a 19-year-old autistic woman, assaulting a 3-year-old girl and a 19-year-old mentally challenged man.
Jamie Rowles was sentenced to 5-to-20 years in state prison and a number of years of probation and will have to register with Megan’s Law.
Mary Rowles is alleged to have touched the child’s genitals and had the child touch the genitals of her and her husband. Mary is also charged with having oral contact with the child’s genitals and allowing the child to have oral contact with the genitals of her and her husband.
Court documents also indicate that Mary Rowles denied any knowledge of the actions her husband committed, but later, she changed her statement to state that she was aware of the situation.
Her attorney, Joseph Ryan, indicated that she is not a bad person, but that she made a bad mistake.
She told Judge Paul E. Cherry that she was sorry.