A man who was on Tennessee’s Top 10 Most Wanted List was arrested in Alabama on Sunday for child rape. On Monday, the child’s mother was also charged in connection with the incident.
FOX News reports that Simon Dean Porter, 33, is accused of raping his 16-month-old biological son, while the boy’s mother, Danielle Bowen, 22, is accused of child neglect and abuse. Authorities caught Porter in Scottsboro, Alabama, after he fled and managed to elude police for several days. The alleged attacked occurred on November 10, according to investigators.
Per the arrest affidavit, Porter intentionally “penetrated” his toddler son and “caused severe and possibly permanent damage to… the child.” Court documents indicate the the suspect broke two of the little boy’s femurs and fractured his hips while holding him down during the assault. The toddler had to go through a number of surgeries after the attack, according to News Channel 5.
Here’s a photo taken by Scottsboro, Alabama police shortly after Simon Porter was captured. We appreciate the hard work of all the agencies involved in the search for Porter! pic.twitter.com/BS8BW2XZ2l
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) November 18, 2018
Bowen is accused of failure to to seek medical treatment for the little boy after the reported attack. The boy’s babysitter reportedly took him to the hospital after noticing the injuries.
“This case rips my heart out,” Lt. Blake Grooms of Lawrenceburg PD said. “I can’t even express it. I’m not even a parent, but when someone tells me that a 16-month-old child has been maliciously and intentionally hurt, words cannot describe it.”
The little boy is still recovering in a Tennessee hospital but expected to survive.
Both suspects are behind bars at the Lawrence County Jail. Bowen is being held on bail of $100,000, while Porter is being held on a $1 million bond. According to police, Bowen was placed in an isolation cell.
[Feature Photo: Simon Dean Porter, Michelle Bowen/TBI, police handout]
