xml:space="preserve">
xml:space="preserve">
Advertisement
Advertisement

Abingdon man charged with sexually abusing niece

An Abingdon man was charged Monday with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl he knows.

Michael Len Howard, 57, of the 500 block of Eastwood Terrace, was charged with second-degree assault, sexual abuse of minor, second-degree sex offense and two counts of fourth-degree sex offense.

Advertisement

The girl reported the sexual assault June 29, according to charging documents, when she was left alone with Howard.

The girl, who was visiting from Florida, said Howard asked her to massage his shoulders before asking her to go into his bedroom, Howard allegedly sexually abused her, according to charging documents.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The girl then ran to a neighbor's house and called 911.

Howard appeared for a bail hearing Wednesday before District Court Judge Susan Hazlett and was represented by Cassandra Beverley. During the hearing, Assistant State's Attorney Elizabeth Bowen passed on information from Assistant State's Attorney Diane Adkins Tobin, who said the girl initially recanted her story when family members put pressure on her but was coming forward in light of DNA evidence.

Law enforcement also considers Howard a flight risk, Bowen said, requesting no bail.

Representing Howard, Beverley said he has been a pharmacy tech at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center for the past 13 years and is also responsible for shuttling his mother to dialysis, as he has for nine years.

Howard was also in the military for 26 years, she added, before he was honorably discharged. Beverley pointed out that Howard had no record of criminal convictions of failures-to-appear and that the girl does not live in Maryland.

Hazlett set the bond at $150,000 and as of Thursday at 4 p.m., according to court records, Howard was still in the Harford County Detention Center.

Recommended on Baltimore Sun

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement