Two charged with rape enter guilty pleas
May 21—Two men, charged in different incidents for sexual offenses, plead guilty to reduced charges in Laurel Circuit Court on Thursday.
Nearly four years after he was indicted on charges of first-degree sexual abuse and multiple counts of first-degree sodomy and first-degree rape of children under age 12, Steven J. Owens, 23, of London, settled his case.
He entered guilty pleas to one count of rape, which was amended from first-degree to second-degree, and one count of sodomy, which also was reduced from first-degree to second-degree.
Owens was recommended to serve 10 years on each count, which will run consecutively — giving him a total of 20 years in prison. He must also register as a lifetime sex offender.
The amended charges reduced Owens' potential jail time significantly. First-degree rape and first-degree sodomy both carry a penalty of 20 to 50 years, or life. The second-degree penalty for both is significantly less — dropping to 2 to 10 years.
Owens did receive the maximum penalty for the second-degree charges.
He is scheduled for sentencing on July 12.
The second case involved David Jason Brown, who was also indicted in 2020 for first-degree rape. However, Brown entered into a plea agreement that reduced his charge to second-degree — and lessening his potential jail time from 10-20 years to 5-10 years.
Brown was recommended to serve 10 years in prison — the maximum jail time for that charge — and must register as a sex offender for 20 years.
His sentencing is also set for July 12.
Laurel Circuit Judge Michael O. Caperton presided over both cases.
