James Cowan was the pastor of Little River Community Church in Arkansas. The church no longer exists after Cowan was arrested for raping his children. He pleaded guilty in November, 2024, to three of the twenty-eight counts of rape in a plea deal that allowed his children to not have to testify.
The abuse was combined with educational neglect as Cowan and his wife claimed to be home-schooling the children, but made no real effort to teach them or have them learn from online curricula. The children’s mother, Mary Miller, who has since divorced Cowan was convicted of failure to notify police and protect the children. She is not on the list as she did not hold a position of power or trust.
Cowan was sentenced to fifty years in prison and must serve at least thirty-five.
- Texarkana Gazette: Little River County Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Rape of Children
- Deltaplex: Former Pastor Sentenced to 50 Years for Raping His Own Children
- State of Arkansas: State vs. James Edwin Cowan