'It's not as bad as what they are saying. Nobody tied her up': Shock at Texas town that says girl, 11, who was 'gang raped was responsible because she was wearing makeup and looked older than her age'



Eric McGowen, 20, sentenced to 99 years' prison after being convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child



Girl was gang-raped repeatedly two years ago in Cleveland, Texas

McGowen admitted raping her with eight others, sometimes two at a time

Escaped during afternoon break on Wednesday and not been seen since

However, some in town say that investigation is inconvenient and that girl was partially responsible because she was wearing makeup

Others think crime was race-related, as all alleged attackers are Black and girl is Hispanic



Though a jury found Eric McGowen guilty of horrifically gang-raping an 11-year-old girl, two major issues remain in the search for justice.

One, McGowen, 20, hasn’t been seen since he vanished during a break in proceedings last week, and the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office had few leads to his whereabouts. In the case, 20 men and boys were charged with repeatedly attacking the girl over the span of five months, through December of 2010.

Second, the small Texas community of Cleveland remains divided on the rape – some residents have suggested the girl was partly responsible because of her appearance, sparking widespread condemnation.

McGowen, pictured prior to his escape, is among 14 adults accused of raping the girl in the shocking series of attacks that took place in the small Texas community of Cleveland

Some also believe the arrests were racially motivated; all of the suspects are black, while the girl is Hispanic. The crime has created a still-lingering divide among residents.



And with the first suspect convicted in the case at large and several more defendants still facing trial, it could be some time before Cleveland, about 45 miles outside of Houston, is able to put the crime behind it.

Prosecutors say the girl was sexually assaulted on at least five occasions from mid-September through early December of 2010, at the mobile home and elsewhere. Others, however, anxiously await the capture of the first person tried and convicted in the case who ran off in the middle of his trial.

'She was just 11,' Charles Armstrong told the Associated Press, as he watched his three and four year old grandsons play in his front yard across the street from where the mobile home once stood.

'I'm not going to stand behind them (the defendants). I'm going to stand behind a jury,' said Armstrong, sitting in a plastic chair outside his mobile home following an overnight shift at his maintenance job at Wal-Mart.

Despite evidence at Eric McGowen's trial that included a confession, DNA evidence, the girl's tearful testimony and a video of her being assaulted, others haven't been swayed.

Caroline King, who lives down the street, insisted Friday that people still 'don't know the facts of the case' and said authorities were just 'harassing people' by knocking on doors in the town of about 7,700 people as they searched for McGowen.

'It's not as bad as what they are saying. Nobody tied (the girl) up,' said King, 59.



Liberty County Courthouse: McGowen's trial went on without him and a jury convicted him of aggravated sexual assault of a child

Some suggested early on that the girl was partly responsible because they say she wore makeup, looked older than her age and wasn't properly supervised by her parents.

But Comeka Robinson, who knows McGowen, described the girl as a 'baby.' She said what happened to the girl was wrong, but she also has doubts about the guilt of McGowen and some of the others charged.

'I would not recommend (he) turn himself in,' Robinson, 25, said.

McGowen, who had been out on bail, fled Wednesday after the girl testified that he sexually assaulted her multiple times, including once with a beer bottle.



The trial went on without him, and jurors found him guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child and then sentenced McGowen to 99 years in prison.

It's unclear if divisions in the town may be complicating efforts to find McGowen. Authorities are saying little about the search.



Crime scene: Authorities say this is the abandoned trailer where an 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in November 2010 in the town of Cleveland, Texas

Dirty: The attacks occurred inside an abandoned mobile home, pictured, where the victim was assaulted by as many as 20 men

Interim police Chief Darrel Broussard said his agency was working with the Liberty County Sheriff's Office to try to find McGowen, including checking places he previously lived in Cleveland.

The mayor did not return a message Friday seeking comment about the case.

McGowen was the first defendant to stand trial in the case. All six of the juveniles and two of the 14 adults charged pleaded guilty. Trial dates have not been set for the 11 remaining defendants.

Police began investigating after one of the girl's classmates told a teacher he saw video of her being sexually assaulted in the abandoned trailer.

Kim Shelton, a member of the Unity Committee in Cleveland, which was created several years ago to promote the city, said the community is working to deal with the crime and trying to ensure something like that never happens again.

Recently, a local church sponsored a conference to teach girls to respect themselves, for example. Shelton also believes parents are talking more to their children.

Earlier this summer, Shelton's committee began selling bumper stickers that say 'I (Heart) Cleveland, TX' as a way to promote the city and tell others it's a good place to live.

'We consider ourselves family and we are moving forward,' she said.



Accused: Kelvin Rashad King, left, and Devo Shaun Green, right, were among those accused of raping the girl

