Defense pushes to unseal separate...

LEWISBURG — A Mifflinburg man accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old is seeking to unseal a separate case involving the alleged victim.On Monday, Timothy Alan Dowhower, 44, of Conley Road, Mifflinburg, and his defense attorney, Michael Rudinski, of Williamsport, appeared in front of Union County Judge Michael Piecuch to argue for access to the case. Rudinski said he believes the case file and transcripts have evidence that supports the defense theory that the victim was lying about being assaulted in both cases.Dowhower was charged with seven felonies: three counts of aggravated indecent assault of a person and four felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor, sexual extortion, endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of minors; and 18 misdemeanor counts of indecent assault. The charges were filed by state Trooper James Nestico, of the Milton State Police Barracks, in the Lewisburg office of District Judge Jeffrey Rowe.State police in Milton report that Dowhower sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl. The girl said the assaults started in the summer of 2022 when she was 14 and continued until 2023, according to court documents. She said that on 10 separate occasions, Dowhower would get her alone at various locations, including a hotel in Lewisburg, and sexually assault her, police said.Rudinski said he has screenshots of messages in which the alleged victim lied about the first assault, which did not involve Dowhower. He said he has Google search records indicating the alleged victim sought advice on how to make assaults appear authentic.First Assistant District Attorney Phil Sassaman said the evidence Rudinski claims to have is already shared with the commonwealth.Sassaman also argued that the motion was not filed correctly. He questioned whether the defense motion violates the Rape Shield Law, which prevents victims of sex crimes from being questioned about their past sexual conduct during trial.Piecuch gave Rudinski until Monday to file an amended motion.If granted, Piecuch said it would trigger an in-camera review of the previous file to determine whether anything is relevant to the defense.Dowhower will appear at 9 a.m. June 22, 23 and 24 in Union County Court for a trial.In an unrelated case, state police in Milton allege that Dowhower created a fake marketing company to funnel nearly $870,000 into his bank accounts between 2018 and 2024 and used the bureau credit card to pay for a monthly subscription to a sexually explicit website depicting nude children and adults.Dowhower is facing four felony counts of theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking, criminal use of a communication facility and unauthorized use of an access device.Dowhower has been free since April 23, 2024, after posting $200,000 bail.