West Virginia Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Abuse of a Child While Stationed in Germany

Dustin Stover Bowles, 42, of West Virginia, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, the Justice Department said on October 19, 2026.

According to the department, a jury convicted Bowles on April 17 of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under 12 while abroad as a member of the armed forces. Court documents and trial evidence showed that between September and December 2006, Bowles sexually abused an eight-year-old girl while babysitting her at his home, the department said. At the time, Bowles was on active duty with the Army and stationed in Hanau, Germany.

The department said the victim disclosed the abuse in 2020 to several trusted adults and to Army criminal investigators. Bowles was later charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. According to the department, three other people testified at trial that Bowles had sexually abused them while they were asleep, including one who was a minor at the time.

The FBI and the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. The department said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/273