LIBERTY, Texas (AP) — One of more than a dozen men and boys accused in the repeated sexual assault of an 11-year-old Texas girl escaped from the courthouse during a break in his trial after the child tearfully testified and jurors watched a video showing one of the alleged assaults.
Eric McGowen, 20, is the first of 14 adults to face trial, accused of sexually assaulting the girl during three months in 2010. Six juveniles also are charged in the attacks in Cleveland, a small town about 45 miles northeast of Houston.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys huddled briefly with Judge Mark Morefield after McGowen failed to return to the courtroom in nearby Liberty following an afternoon break Wednesday.
