Lit cigarette, wet towel used to assault woman at York motel, police say
James Patrick Bowen is charged with assaulting a woman who police say is care-dependent.
Ted CzechA man staying at a York motel allegedly used a lit cigarette and wet towel to assault a care-dependent woman on Friday, according to charging documents.
James Patrick Bowen, 53, of no fixed address, is charged with strikes, shoves, kicks or attempts/threatens care-dependent person, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
As of Monday, Bowen remained in York County Prison on $20,000 bail. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 9 before District Judge Joel N. Toluba, according to online court dockets.
Charging documents provide details
About 9 p.m. on Friday, York City Police responded to the Red Roof Inn, 132 N. George St., and began investigating an alleged assault.
Police learned that several hours earlier, Bowen began arguing with the woman, who was described as "care-dependent."
"He went to the bathroom and retrieved a wet towel," police said. "He used the wet towel to slap (the victim) across the stomach causing her pain."
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Next, Bowen pressed a lit cigarette against her right forearm, causing a burn, according to police.
The woman was unable to defend herself because of her physical impairments, police said.
Ted Czech is a multi-platform crime/emergency journalist with The York Daily Record. He can be reached at tczech@ydr.com, at 717-771-2033 or on Twitter at @TedCzechYDR