Update: On July 18, Owen was found not guilty on all charges.
—
David A. Owen pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of sexually abusing a victim who was incapable of consent. According to court documents, the alleged incidents occurred while Owen was serving in his role as an EEG technician.
Owen, a 41-year-old Daviess County man, is facing criminal charges of first-degree sodomy, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and first-degree attempted sexual abuse. There is also an ongoing civil suit for the alleged incidents.
The civil complaint was filed on March 2, 2022, by Dana R. Kolter, attorney for the plaintiff.
According to court documents, the alleged incidents happened on March 5, 2021. The complaint alleges that the plaintiff was admitted to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital that day, and that Owen was assigned to perform an EEG on the plaintiff.
In the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that Owen performed forcible sexual acts against the plaintiff without consent “due to her inability to consent due her condition.” (Owensboro Times is choosing not to reveal more information about the medical conditions or the plaintiff’s name for protection of privacy.)
Owensboro Health provided the following statement to Owensboro Times via email Wednesday: “We cannot comment on confidential personnel matters or pending legal actions. We can confirm that the individual is no longer employed by Owensboro Health. When we became aware of the situation, we launched an internal investigation and referred the matter to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. We are committed to providing a safe, secure and healing environment for our patients and the communities we serve.”
In the criminal case, Owen is the lone defendant. He was arrested on August 6, 2022, in the 3200 block of Adams Street. Owen posted a $75,000 cash bond three days later.
Owen was arraigned by Daviess Circuit Judge Lisa Jones on Wednesday morning, when Owen entered his not guilty plea. He is being represented by Bryce Caldwell, according to court documents. Caldwell could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
A condition of Owen’s release pending trial includes staying off Owensboro Health property.
Owen will be in court again at 9 a.m. January 11 for a pretrial conference.
Sodomy in the first degree is a Class B felony, while sexual abuse in the first degree is a Class D felony.
