Summerville Man Found Not Guity of Child Molestation

Derek Cody Bowman, a Chattooga County resident arrested in December 2022 on charges of child molestation, has been found not guilty by a jury. The verdict was delivered in Chattooga County following a trial that examined allegations dating back to 2014 and 2015.

Bowman’s arrest came after a month-long investigation into accusations of sexual contact with a minor under the age of sixteen. The alleged incidents were reported to have occurred at Bowman’s residence on Summerville Gardens Drive. The investigation, led by Summerville Police Detectives in conjunction with the Department of Family & Children’s Services and the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit’s Children’s Advocacy Center, involved multiple interviews and the collection of witness statements.

Authorities stated that the evidence gathered during the investigation provided sufficient grounds to secure an arrest warrant for Bowman on charges of child molestation.

After hearing the evidence presented, the jury concluded that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to convict Bowman and returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges.

Summerville Police arrested a thirty-two-year-old Summerville man and charged him with child molestation late last week. According to a report released Monday by the police department, on Friday, Derek Cody Bowman was arrested after a month-long investigation into the allegations.

Bowman is accused of having sexual contact with a child under the age of sixteen who was visiting his residence at Summerville Gardens Drive. Summerville Police Detectives, along with the Department of Family & Children’s Services and the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit’s Children’s Advocacy Center, were able to conduct multiple interviews and collected witness statements that provided police detectives with enough evidence to obtain an arrest warrant against Bowman for child molestation.

Summerville Police say the investigation into Bowman ” is still ongoing to ensure that no other illegal activities occurred and that no other victims were involved”.

From WZQZ