A former Arkansas pastor has pleaded guilty to three counts of rape involving his minor children and been sentenced to 50 years in prison, according to a statement released yesterday by Arkansas authorities.
As part of a negotiated plea agreement, James “Jamie” Cowan, 46, pleaded guilty to raping minors on Nov. 12, according to a statement released by Jana Bradford, Arkansas prosecutor for the 9th West District. In addition to his 50-year sentence, Cowan also received 30 years of a suspended sentence upon release.
Cowan must serve at least 70% of his sentence or 35 years, Bradford said. This would make Cowan 81-years old at the time of release, “effectively making this sentence a life term,” Bradford added.
The decision to offer a plea deal was made after consideration of the victims’ wishes, “ensuring they would not have to endure the further trauma of testifying in a court trial,” Bradford said.
In a motion for a bond reduction, Cowan says he is a pastor. The Arkansas Justice Project’s Post reported Cowan is the former pastor of the Little River Community Church and a TikTok video said the church was in Winthrop, Arkansas.
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The Roys Report could not find a phone number or other contact information for the church online.
According to the Arkansas Justice Project, “All [the victims] are slowly recovering but are lagging behind in educational milestones because the home schooling that was alleged to be taking place was not happening in any meaningful way. Through no fault of their own they must also recover from educational neglect along with the trauma.”
One of the victims reported the abuse, the Arkansas Justice Project reported.
“This was all made possible when one of the victims spoke out. Without her incredible courage, getting these kids to safety might have been prolonged or never happened,” the post states.
Statement by Jana Bradford, Arkansas prosecutor for the 9th West District
Bradford-Statement-Cowan-Nov-13-2024
Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.
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18 Responses
Thank you, Shelia Stogsdill, for bringing to us this difficult report about this horrific crime and tghis evil man.
It’s not just the man. The wife has now been arrested:
Mary Fraidy Miller (formerly Cowan), who served in a youth fellowship role in the church her husband was pastor of, has been charged with 3 counts class B felony permitting child abuse & 5 counts 2nd degree endangering the welfare of a minor.
-Per Atlanta Justice Project
Utterly heartbreaking. And his letter is sickening. It shows a complete and utter lack of empathy for the children he victimized–it’s all about *him* and his well-being. That may be par for the course in a case like this, but still… come on, man.
Where can his letter be seen? Just curious what a predator has to say as I was a victim myself as a child. This man is the very definition of despicable. In prison, he’ll probably experience part of what he put his children thru, altho he’ll never feel the betrayal of someone who’s supposed to be his protector.
There is a link to the letter in the post. Here it is again.
https://julieroys.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Cowan-brief-bond-reduction.jpg
Hi, Peggy. I’m so terribly sorry to hear you were a victim as a child. That’s unconscionable for someone to do that to you. No child should be treated that way. You are valued and loved and deserve so much more.
As to the letter, it was hyperlinked in the part of Julie’s article that says “In a motion for a bond reduction, Cowan says he is a pastor.”
It is my firm belief that some crimes deserve the death penalty. Raping children and women is one of those crimes. I am saddened that he gets to live, eat, exercise, and recreate at the expense of the tax payers until he’s 81, and it would be even more of a tragedy if he got out in 35 years because it would give him 15 or 20 years of freedom he doesn’t deserve. May God do His will in this man’s life in a way that vindicates the children.
Child abusers are the lowest scum in the prison pecking order. Therefore, I say throw him into the general population and make sure the other inmates know why he’s there. They will dispose of him in short order.
We often hear this assurance every time that a child abuser or molester is mentioned. But how many times have you learned about an abuser or molester actually being “disposed of” in prison by fellow inmates?
We heard boasts that other inmates would quickly “dispose of” Susan Smith to avenge the two sons she murdered. Over thirty years later, Susan Smith is alive and soon to be eligible for parole. And we hear that other inmates and guards often seek her out for affairs.
The brutality and certainty of “prison justice” is exaggerated. Whether because of fear of punishment or lessening outrage, other inmates today often tolerate or ignore child abusers. Also, many prisons house abusers and molesters together, keeping them “among their own kind.”
He won’t last a few years much less 50, don’t yall know what happens to child molesters in prison? We can only be hopeful anyways! Praying for the victims!
This is a plea to get back to real discipleship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have to die to ourselves and to the world. We need to love, worship, and fear the Almighty and Awesome God. Our Lord Jesus left His throne and died for us, shedding His precious blood because we are unable to save ourselves. Our hearts are dark and wicked and incapable of life giving thoughts.
This man wanted a bond reduction as he was a pastor. What does he think that role requires? Does he think it means being a manager of a club? He sexually abuses his children and does not educate them, and then preaches on Sundays. What is the purpose of homeschooling them, ….. to protect them from the evils of the world? What a twisted fool and monster! He doesn’t believe in God.
He was a pastor so you can’t say he didn’t/doesn’t believe in a god. Show me how you know the pastor is/was an atheist.
Thank you Sheila for this sad report. It’s another case of a depraved leader. Church leadership in America is clearly getting sicker and sicker – pastors, youth leaders and deacons committing horrendous sexual abuse, immoral relationships with church members, and in some cases even murder! These are not the Christians the Bible speaks about. These are truly ferocious wolves in sheep’s clothing deceiving so many believers. So how should Christians respond to all this? The New Testament has clearly instructed believers to be aware of false teachers who ‘deceive even the very elect.” We live in an age where we need to have sharp, spiritual eyes like Jesus did to be able to discern wickedness where the sick minds of people like Mr. Cowan are lurking among congregations.
That was not a pastor! A real pastor would not do such a thing.
That was a beast of the devil, evil of unrighteousness.
I would never attend or support a “church” where the pastor had paid family members on staff. How do “Christian’s” not see that a pastor in the pulpit wearing a cowboy hat standing in front of a cross draped in an American flag is an indication of a huge problem. If the Church can’t identify the frauds and evil people in leadership positions what hope is there for the Church to protect the innocent. Obviously there is no fear of God in these evil frauds. Maybe fear of the state with the real possibility of execution would curb some of this evil.
A pastor should not be anything but. the highest ranking of all the elders..not some exulted king like leader – ruler..this is the problem the church has today..and you know where it stems from ? the catholic church.. first with them father,,next with the so called protistants..reverend . with their, black outfits.. with the little white collars..and finally..pastors..who run the whole show..like mac aurthur. or hybels ( willow creek )..and where does it lead to.. .adultery pedifiles financal scandal and apostisy..right , from the origins. of the good ol catholic church I belong to a church with no designated pastor..the elders all rotate..in the conducting of the services..and church policy..is decided..by a consensus of all of them..not just one leadership person..and this is the real patern..of the 1st century church
It didn’t begin with the Catholic Church… It began in the heart of man. The wolves have been among the sheep from the beginning of time. If anyone thinks that these are new horrors, or that things are getting worse for the church, they would be wrong -there is nothing new under the sun.
The only difference is that now there are lights shining in the dark corners. For that I am grateful, and hopeful that the church will one day soon no longer be a hiding place, a place that gives opportunity to those with evil intentions.
I have struggled with this sin for a long time . My Mother was sexual abused by her uncle at the age of five, this haunted her till the day she went on to heaven. I guess you could say I grew into unforgettable hate. He not onlyessed her life up but it hurt all my siblings. I also realized I have to forgive that person or how can God forgive me. What ever happened in his life to make him so able to hurt a child. Don’t get me wrong, I Hate this horrible sin, God see no measure to sin. If I don’t forgive them how can God forgive me.