Jury trial for rape suspect begins
May 21—LIMA — An Allen County Common Pleas Court jury heard opening statements and testimony from a victim for a jury trial involving a Lima man charged with continuous rape of two minors Tuesday.
No DNA evidence will be presented in the case, only witness testimonies, as stated in opening statements. Opening statements also revealed that the alleged abuse from Paul Bowman, 48, of Lima, ended when law enforcement was notified. Bowman was described as a reliable employee at his job of 10 years who never called off, and shortly after law enforcement started looking into the allegations, he stopped going to work, cut connections with his family, and his truck was repossessed.
The victim shared a bed with Bowman when the sexual abuse occurred. The victim had been sexually assaulted previously by someone else and was not believed when it occurred, so the victim didn't tell anyone at first. The victim described Bowman as physically abusive.
Bowman was indicted by an Allen County grand jury in November of 2023 on 11 counts of rape and six counts of sexual battery for incidents that prosecutors allege took place between December 2012 and August 2023.
The indictment states that the victim in several of the counts was under the age of 13 and that Bowman "purposely compelled the victim to submit by force or threat of force."
Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.
