Texas Gang Rape Fugitive Recaptured

Eric McGowen, the fugitive in a Texas gang-rape case, has been recaptured after a manhunt that lasted about two weeks.

McGowen is back in police custody after the Gulf Coast Task Force arrested the 20-year-old at an apartment in the Greenspoint area in Texas on Tuesday, reports ABC Local. The fugitive was turned over to the Texas Rangers, and is on his way back to Liberty county.

Law enforcement officials pulled over a family member of McGowen’s during a traffic stop, and the person confessed that McGowen was staying with them. They proceeded to go to the apartment, where they surprised the fugitive while he was sitting on the toilet.

Liberty County officials will make the decision on whether Eric McGowen’s relatives in Greenspoint will face any charges relating to harboring a fugitive.

According to The Brownsville Herald, McGowen was found guilty and sentenced while he was on the run for the repeated sexual assault of a middle school student. Because of his involvement, the jury has sentenced him to 99 years in prison.

McGowen was free on bail during the trial, and skipped out during a break the day before the jury found him guilty of repeated rape. McGowen’s lawyer did not present any evidence or call any witnesses in the trial.

The fugitive was one among 20 men and boys who sexually assaulted the girl on at least five occasions in late 2010. All six juveniles, as well as two adults, have pleaded guilty. Eric McGowen was the first adult to go to trial in the case.