CLEARFIELD – Clearfield County District Attorney, William A. Shaw, Jr., announced that a Clearfield County man has been sentenced to state prison for aggravated indecent assault, statutory sexual assault and related crimes.
An affidavit of probable cause filed by Jordan provides that in March 2010, the Pennsylvania State Police began an investigation into a report of statutory sexual assault and related crimes. State troopers interviewed the victim who reported that Cowfer had been having inappropriate sexual contact with her for nearly 6 years. The victim also reported that the frequency and severity of the sexual contact had escalated as the years progressed, eventually occurring at least twice a month.
On Dec. 6, 2010, Cowfer tendered a plea of guilt to the charges. The Honorable Paul E. Cherry issued an Order on Dec. 7, 2010, directing that Cowfer undergo a Megan’s Law assessment by the State Sexual Offender’s Assessment Board prior to sentencing. A Megan’s Law Hearing was scheduled for March 28, 2011.
During the Megan’s Law Hearing, Shaw offered expert testimony from Brenda Manno to establish that Cowfer is a sexually violent predator. Manno is a member of the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board and conducted an assessment to determine if Cowfer meets the statutory criteria to be classified as a sexually violent predator. During the hearing, Manno stated that it was her expert opinion that Cowfer does meet the criteria. Manno further testified that she has conducted over five hundred assessments and only a small portion of those assessed meet the statutory criteria of a sexually violent predator.
Following the presentation of testimony and evidence, Shaw argued that Cowfer should be classified as a sexually violent predator. Cherry then issued an order declaring Cowfer a sexually violent predator for purpose of Megan’s Law. Following the Megan’s Law Hearing, Shaw motioned the court to proceed with the sentencing of Cowfer.
Prior to sentencing, Cherry stated “You are a very sick man. This is reprehensible.” Cherry then sentenced Cowfer to a minimum of 6 years and a maximum of 20 years incarceration in the State Prison System.
Following sentencing, Shaw stated that he was satisfied with the sentence imposed by Cherry. Shaw stated that Cherry’s sentence sends a strong message that this type of behavior is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Shaw stated that efforts will continue to identify, investigate, and prosecute these types of crimes. Shaw also stated that he was pleased with the investigation by the state police in this case.