17-year-old charged with child molestation

Angus Sowell, 17, of Ava, is currently being held in the Ozark County Jail on a $15,000 cash-only bond in connection with a class A felony of child molestation that was filed against him April 18. Sowell is being charged as a prior offender based on the fact that he pleaded guilty to felony burglary in Douglas County on Dec. 5, 2017.
According to the probable cause statement in the case, written by Ozark County Deputy Kyle Hannaford, officers received a statement from a woman who indicated that Sowell had touched her 7-year-old child in a sexual manner. The woman reportedly said in a written statement to police that she had left the house to get a gallon of milk and received a text from her 14-year-old daughter that she needed to hurry home. The woman said when she arrived back home she witnessed Sowell in the bathroom with the 7-year-old,  touching her sexually.
The woman said when she confronted him, Sowell admitted to touching the 7-year-old in a sexual manner and said it had also happened on  previous occasions, the statement says.
The woman removed Sowell from the home and drove him to the sheriff’s office, where he was read his Miranda rights and brought in for questioning. Sowell requested a lawyer, and officers stopped the interview and placed him  under arrest until he could speak with an attorney.
Online records indicate that public defender Lauren Kate Welborn has entered her appearance in the case as Sowell’s attorney. He was scheduled to be arraigned April 24 before Associate Judge Cynthia MacPherson. Details of that court appearance were not available at press time.