HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A Hurricane man faces a minimum of 30 years in federal prison after being convicted on charges Friday of sexual abusing a young child nearly 20 years ago.
Federal prosecutors said Dustin Bowles, 42, committed the abuse in late 2006 while he was on active duty with the U.S. Army in Germany. He was babysitting the child at the times of the abuse.
Federal prosecutor Moore Capito said Bowles “preyed on a child entrusted to his care and committed a calculated, predatory act that shattered that trust in the most unforgivable way.”
Bowles’ conviction Friday came after a four-day trial in federal court in Huntington.
The investigation got started after the victim discussed the abuse with friends in 2020.
“Because of the victim’s courageous disclosure, years after being abused, the jury held Dustin Bowles to account,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to protecting children from abuse and exploitation, even abuses committed decades ago and overseas.”
Three other victims testified that Bowles abused them while they were asleep.
Bowles is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 3.