A Battle Ground business owner faces charges of rape following an investigation into a relationship with a minor, documents filed in Clark County Superior Court show.
On Nov. 1, Timothy Rowe, owner of Rowe Plumbing and Drain, was arraigned in court on nearly a dozen charges including rape of a child and commercial sex abuse of a minor. He was held on $250,000 bail, according to court documents.
According to a probable cause affidavit for Rowe’s arrest, a friend of the 15-year-old victim had alerted a school counselor of the alleged abuse. According to the document, the victim had sexual contact with Rowe for the past several years. Following the friend’s alert, Child Protective Services and law enforcement got involved, with Rowe being arrested on Oct. 22.
According to the affidavit, the victim estimated the abuse happened about once or twice a month for five years, beginning when the victim was between nine and 11 years old.
Alleged abuse included oral sex and sexual intercourse, with some of the details listed in the affidavit describing incidents involving the victim receiving money in return for the abuse.
In one instance, Rowe and the victim feared she had become pregnant as a result of the incidents, though a pregnancy test turned up negative, according to the affidavit. At the time of the filing of the affidavit, the latest incident was within the past week.
Rowe has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. He is scheduled to make a pre-trial appearance Jan. 9, 2020, according to court documents.
