Florida pastor indicted in rape of two Murfreesboro teen sisters

A Florida pastor has been indicted in Rutherford County on charges of child sex abuse related to his 2014 visit to the area.

David Alan Rowan, of Milton, Fla., was arrested Feb. 16 by U.S. Marshals and local authorities, according to police reports.

Rowan was indicted by the February sitting of the grand jury on counts of rape, unlawful sexual contact and sexual battery by an authority figure.

Murfreesboro Police investigate

“Investigation shows that in 2014, Pastor Rowan was hired as a guest speaker to speak at a meeting at a local church in Rutherford County,” a police report filed by Murfreesboro Police Detective Tommy Roberts states.

Two sisters, aged 14 and 15 at the time, came forward with “compelling and credible disclosures” about Rowan’s actions during that visit. They were interviewed by the Child Advocacy Center in Lebanon, Tenn., and local officers.

The family was staying on the grounds of the church where Rowan was visiting, the report states, and they “counted on him for spiritual guidance.”

At one point, Rowan offered to take the girls out for a hamburger and a milkshake, and their parents agree.

Instead, he allegedly took them to a local hotel.

Allegations of abuse

“Mr. Rowan took advantage of the girls’ trust and naivety and molested them,” the report alleges.

Roberts was assigned the case in 2017, and he and Murfreesboro Detective Michael Yates drove to Florida to interview Rowan last December.

Rowan remains in the Santa Rosa County Jail awaiting extradition back to Murfreesboro.

He is being held without bond in Florida and no court date has yet been set.

Reach Mariah Timms at mtimms@dnj.com or 615-278-5164 and on Twitter @MariahTimms.