Plea deal extended in child sex case

Jan. 28--JEFFERSON -- A plea deal has been extended to a man accused of sexually abusing children over a number of years.

James Bowers, 56, of 620 Buffalo St., faces five counts of gross sexual imposition and 23 counts of rape, court records state. Bowers was indicted by an Ashtabula County Grand Jury in November.

A plea offer was extended Jan. 10 in Bowers' rape case and he will appear in the court of Judge Thomas Harris Feb. 3 at 10 a.m., court records state.

Prosecutors have said the 23-count rape indictment involves 11 counts that occurred when the victim was younger than 10 which would result in a sentence of 15 years-to-life if Bowers is convicted.

The remaining counts allegedly occurred when the victim was 10, 11, or 12 years old, which would result in an 11-year sentence for each count if he is convicted, Iarocci said.

Bowers, who babysat the child, is accused of first sexually assaulting the victim when she was 7 years old, and the abuse allegedly continued until she was 12.

In the five-count gross sexual imposition case, Bowers is accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old during the summer of 2016.

Conneaut police said the allegations came to light while they spoke with with one of the victims during an unrelated investigation and she disclosed information about Bowers.

Police have also said the investigation was bolstered through the work of the Signature Health Child Advocacy Center. The center in this case provided counseling and medical services for the victims in a professional environment where they could discuss what had happened, police said.

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