Sex Crime Suspect Caught in Iowa After Skipping Trial

A Silver Lake man wanted locally on charges of underage sex was apprehended by police in Iowa.
Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department detectives were advised Monday afternoon that Dustin Edward Owens, Silver Lake, had been taken into custody by the Davenport (Iowa) Police Department, according to a press release from KCSD.
Owens originally was scheduled to stand trial in Kosciusko County Superior Court 1 in front of Judge David Cates Dec. 15, but Owens failed to show. A bench warrant for failure to appear was issued and KCSD detectives began to search for Owens, who had fled his home.
Owens, 40, of 10402 S. Ind. 15, Silver Lake, originally was arrested for sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in December 2014. The girl started having intercourse with Owens at his residence when she was 12 years old and she became pregnant. Owens denied to a caseworker that the child was his.
Officers had searched various sources and family members in an attempt to track Owens down on the active warrant.  The KCSD release states that a break developed Monday when officers received information that Owens was potentially in Iowa.
KCSD detectives were able to work with Davenport Police Department detectives to provide a possible “meet” location.  Once Owens was approached by Davenport officers, he provided an alias – a name used on the TV show “Criminal Minds.” Confronted by detectives that he was lying, Owens then attempted to flee but was arrested by officers.
Owens is currently awaiting a potential governor’s warrant for extradition back to Indiana to stand trial.

(Story By The Times Union)