Opening statements and testimony are scheduled to begin this morning at the Miller County courthouse in the trial of a man accused of child sexual abuse.
A jury was chosen before Circuit Judge Carlton Jones last week at the Miller County courthouse near downtown Texarkana to decide the case of Gerald Herbert Lowery, 57. Lowery is charged with rape and second-degree sexual assault for allegedly abusing the daughter of a former girlfriend's roommate at a Texarkana, Ark., apartment complex in 2004 and 2005 when the alleged victim was a 6-year-old.
Texarkana, Ark., Police Department detectives determined that Lowery, his former girlfriend, the alleged victim and the alleged victim's mother shared the apartment in 2004 and 2005. The alleged victim told investigators Lowery would often watch her while her mother and Lowery's girlfriend were at work. The alleged victim, now 19, described being sexually abused at the apartment and in other locations in Texarkana. The girl's mother told detectives she became aware of the abuse in October 2017 when her daughter, who had been having nightmares, finally spoke of the abuse she allegedly suffered as a 6-year-old in Texarkana.
Lowery's brother allegedly contacted Texarkana, Ark., detectives after learning of the allegations concerning the woman named in Lowery's current Miller County charges. The brother allegedly told detectives he suspects Lowery has abused many of his female relatives and that the two physically fought and became estranged 13 years ago as a result. The brother said several female relatives who are now adults confided in him that Lowery molested them when they were as young as 5.
"I was able to contact one of these victims who stated she had been a victim of Gerald Lowery when she was 5 years of age, but she did not wish to speak of the incidents due to it being 40 years ago," the affidavit states. "She went on to say that she knew her sister was a victim of Gerald Lowery's as well."
Managing Public Defender Jason Mitchell recently filed a motion requesting a hearing to determine the admissibility of testimony from other alleged victims at Lowery's trial this week. Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Connie Mitchell and Kristian Robertson are handling the case for the state.
Lowery is being held in the Miller County jail. Bail is set at $500,000. If convicted of rape, Lowery would face 25 to 40 years or life in prison. Second-degree sexual abuse is punishable by five to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $15,000. Lowery is currently held in the Miller County jail with bail set at $125,000.