A 74-year-old Homer man was sentenced earlier this month to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree sexual abuse of a minor.
According to a release from the Department of Law, John Thomas Cowan was sentenced at the Kenai Courthouse on Aug. 13. The release says that Cowan admitted to “hundreds” of instances of abuse, spanning a decade and beginning in 2009.
Cowan was originally charged with 39 counts of felony sex abuse of a minor. He pleaded guilty to one charge and was sentenced to 45 years with 20 suspended.
Also on Aug. 13, Cowan pleaded guilty to a charge of felony indecent exposure in a separate case, for which he received three years with one suspended, though all but six months of the non-suspended time will be served concurrently with his longer sentence. Cowan’s total incarceration will be 25 years and six months.
The sentence, per the release, “attempts to address the seriousness of Cowan’s conduct while also minimizing further impact on the victim … More importantly, the resolution allows for some measure of closure and accountability.”
Cowan will be ineligible for parole, the release says, but his “advanced age” was considered in sentencing.
The case was prosecuted by Julie Matucheski. Cowan was investigated by Homer Police Department with help from Anchorage Police Department.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
