NEW BEDFORD (MA)
The Herald News
Gregg M. Miliote, Herald News Staff Reporter07/13/2005
NEW BEDFORD -- The Diocese of Fall River priest accused of raping a young Bristol County girl on numerous occasions more than three decades ago will likely plead guilty to a three-year-old indictment Friday in Bristol County Superior Court.
Father Donald Bowen, 67, is charged with indecent assault and battery of a person under 14 on several occasions and unnatural and lascivious acts on a person under 16 on several occasions. Each charge carries a five-year maximum prison sentence.
Bristol County District Attorney Paul F. Walsh, who found a loophole in the commonwealth’s statute of limitations laws leading to the 2002 indictment, confirmed Tuesday that Bowen is scheduled to appear for a change of plea hearing Friday morning.
Walsh, though, could not comment on the specifics of any plea agreement.
"It’s an ethical violation to discuss the possibility or the potential agreement on a plea, because it could hinder the defendant’s right to a fair trial if he changes his mind about pleading out," Walsh said. "But, I can tell you we will absolutely be recommending jail time no matter what."
The alleged abuses occurred between 1965 and 1971 while Bowen was serving as a pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Norton.