Court records obtained by KPRC 2 News describe threats that Harris County Sheriff's deputy Alexander Cowley, 40, allegedly made to keep a 13-year-old girl silent for years. Cowley was arrested last week on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child. He has since bonded out of jail on a $200,000 bond. When a KPRC reporter reached him by phone, Cowley answered but declined to comment.
According to the affidavit, the alleged abuse began in the summer of 2016 and continued over several months. The victim, now an adult, recently came forward, prompting a Texas Rangers investigation. The affidavit says Cowley allegedly told the girl to deny everything if they were ever caught, and that he would rather die by "suicide by cop" or kill himself in prison than be jailed, or flee to England. The girl told investigators she stayed silent for years because she was afraid of losing him and did not want him to harm himself.
Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk, said that threatening self-harm to silence a victim is a recognized tactic.