Police use Flock camera to find man accused of touching child’s buttocks at convenience store
Published at | Updated at
POCATELLO — A 72-year-old man was arrested last month after police say he sexually assaulted a young girl inside of a convenience store.
James Henry Bowlin, also known as Donald Glenn Bowlin, is charged with felony child sexual abuse.
According to court documents, on July 15, around 1:10 p.m., the Pocatello Police Department dispatch received a call about an incident at the Fast Stop Express located at 3957 South 5th Avenue.
The reporting party stated that an “elderly male” had touched his daughter on the buttocks with an open hand. Court documents do not state the child’s age.
The man stated that the suspect then left the scene in a white Nissan Titan Pickup truck with a passenger who he said weighed approximately 400 pounds.
Officers conducted an interview with the young girl, who allegedly claimed that she had been holding the front door to the store open for her younger brother and mother, when the elderly man reportedly “cut in front” of the family and “patted her buttocks three times with an open hand.”
Court documents say officers used a Flock License Plate Reader camera to locate the white pickup truck and identified the license plate as Bowlin’s.
Police say further investigation revealed that Bowlin’s home address is also that of a woman who weighs approximately 400 pounds.
The surveillance video from the store reportedly showed the suspect wearing “distinctive clothing” with text saying “Wake up and smell the freedom” and matching tattoos to Bowlin’s own.
Court documents say Bowlin has a “clear and consistent” history of battery and sexual battery, including two cases in June 2020, where he was accused of groping women “under the guise of a hug.”
On July 30, around 2:15 p.m., Pocatello police officers contacted Bowlin at his home and took him into custody at the Pocatello Police Department. During an interview, Bowlin reportedly admitted to being at the store at the time of the alleged incident and stated that he “patted a younger female on the buttocks.”
Bowlin estimated that the victim was between 13 and 14 years old. He told deputies that he did not know the victim and denied that the touching was sexual in nature. According to police reports, Bowlin also made a comment that he would “never be able to have her.”
Bowlin was then arrested and booked into the Bannock County Jail without a bond.
He is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.
Bowlin has been appointed a public defender. The Idaho State Public Defender’s Office does not comment on active cases.
Though Bowlin has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.