New details on Harris County deputy accused of child assault

Well, tonight we have new developments in the case against a veteran Harris County Sheriff's deputy. You're looking at Alexander Cowley. He appeared before a judge late here this afternoon to face charges of continuous child sexual abuse. His bond now set at half a million dollars. McKenna Earhart joining us now in studio with those details. Yeah, so Cowley has been with the sheriff's office for about 10 years and tonight he remains behind bars. Prosecutors asked the judge for a $1 million cash bond, saying Cowley previously talked about running away to England if he ever got caught. His defense attorney pushed for a much lower $10,000 bond, pointing out that Cowley has no prior criminal record and deep roots in Houston. But the judge sided closer with the state, setting bail at half a million dollars he might flee. The allegations stem from 2016. Now, court documents show the victim was a family member who describes repeated sexual assaults. Cowley was assigned to the department's critical incident response team. The sheriff's office says he is currently on administrative duty while the Texas Department of Public Safety investigates. The judge also put strict rules in place if Cowley posts bail. I've issued some bond conditions for you, including no contact with any minors under the age of 17 without the court's permission, cannot live within 1,000 feet of anywhere children come together, cannot supervise in or participate in any activities where the participants or recipients are under the age of 15 to 17 without the court's permission. I'm also approving a protective order, which I'll go over momentarily. Those bond conditions in place and the protective order that I'm about to issue and considering the flight risk that I consider you based on your statements made allegedly through this complainant, I'll set your bond at $500,000. Now Cowley is due back in court Monday morning at 9 a.m. in front of Judge Chris Morton. We'll be following that hearing closely and I'll bring you any new updates, Anthony. All right, McKenna, thank you so much.