A federal jury convicted Dustin Stover Bowles, 42, of Hurricane, on April 17 for aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12. The conviction follows a four-day trial in Huntington, West Virginia.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address child sexual exploitation and abuse, including offenses committed overseas by U.S. citizens serving in the military. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Bowles abused a minor known to him while babysitting at his home between September and December 2006. The victim reported the abuse years later in 2020 to trusted adults and Army criminal investigators. At the time of the offenses, Bowles was an active duty member of the United States Army stationed in Hanau, Germany.
Three additional victims testified during the trial that Bowles sexually abused them while they were asleep. The jury found him guilty under charges brought through the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act for crimes committed abroad as a member of the armed forces. Sentencing is scheduled for August 3; Bowles faces a mandatory minimum penalty of thirty years in prison.
“Because of the victim’s courageous disclosure, years after being abused, the jury held Dustin Bowles to account,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to protecting children from abuse and exploitation, even abuses committed decades ago and overseas.”
“Bowles preyed on a child entrusted to his care and committed a calculated, predatory act that shattered that trust in the most unforgivable way,” said United States Attorney Moore Capito for the Southern District of West Virginia. “This was not a mistake — it was a deliberate exploitation of the most vulnerable. The courage of this victim stands in stark contrast to the cruelty of the offender. Those who target children will be found and brought to answer for it — wherever they are and no matter how long it takes.”
Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec with FBI Pittsburgh Field Office said: “No matter where you are in world…the FBI will investigate, find, and bring to justice those who think they can prey on…our community.” He added: “Tarnishing our nation’s uniform makes these actions all more egregious…The FBI and our international partners will not hesitate to pursue justice across time and borders…”
The investigation involved both FBI agents and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division personnel.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over proceedings; prosecution was handled by Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo from Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section (CEOS) alongside Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald from Southern District West Virginia.
The case forms part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by Department Justice May 2006 aimed at combating online child sexual exploitation through coordinated federal-state-local action (more information).
The U.S. Attorney for Southern District West Virginia improves communities through enforcement federal laws according to its official website. This office operates under United States Department Justice according to its official website, employs thirty-seven attorneys plus forty other personnel according its official website, prosecutes federal crimes as well as civil cases enhance quality life according its official website, covers twenty-three counties southern West Virginia according its official website, offers prosecution services representation civil litigation according its official website, collects government debts protects public interests across district according its official website.
