CLEARFIELD – A 34-year-old Curwensville man who has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl waived his right to a preliminary hearing at Centralized Court Wednesday at the Clearfield County Jail.
Russell Don Cowfer, 34, of Curwensville faces charges of statutory sexual assault; aggravated indecent assault; indecent assault and related charges.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Trooper Terry D. Jordan, of the Clearfield State Police, initiated an investigation for a complaint of statutory sexual assault on March 9. He identified the alleged victim as a 13-year-old girl.
Jordan interviewed the alleged victim’s mother at the state police barracks on the previously mentioned date. She related the alleged victim told her that Cowfer had been “touching her where he shouldn’t have been.”
She related she asked the victim about the alleged incident. She said the alleged victim indicated the sex acts had gone on since she was 7-years-old.
On the same day, Jordan interviewed the girl with the assistance of Trooper Kimberly Ronan. The alleged victim related she was sitting on the couch in shorts and a tank top when she was about 7-years-old. She said Cowfer sat down next to her. She believed he was going to give her a hug.
However, she told police that Cowfer removed her tank top. She said he touched her inappropriately, causing her to push him away. At this time, she said he stopped touching her. She related the sex acts occurred about every four days or so.
“Every time that this would happen, he would tell me at the end to keep my mouth shut,” she said. “It would be the same thing every four days or so. When I turned 11-(years-old), he began to do other things.”
She said the defendant began to sexually abuse her on a daily basis.
“For the past couple of weeks or so, he told me to start locking myself in the bathroom, so he wouldn’t be able to touch me,” she said.
On May 11, Jordan and Corporal Jeffrey Lee interviewed Cowfer at the state police barracks. Cowfer related his sexual contact with the alleged victim began in July 2009. He said he stopped when she reported it in March 2010.
Cowfer admitted the sexual contact occurred “at least twice a month.” He said there were about 16 incidents, which covered the previously said time span.
“Sixteen times, I (touched her inappropriately),” he said. He also said he would pull her close and grind against her. He said the acts occurred with their clothes on.
He then admitted to rubbing under the victim’s shorts with his fingers and genitalia. He indicated he had done so two times each with both. He said he had twice rubbed his genitalia inside her buttocks but didn’t attempt to penetrate her.
Cowfer said he and the alleged victim were naked when he used his genitalia during the sex acts. Throughout the months, he said he exposed himself to the victim.
