Florida police investigate Chillicothe doctor for child rape

CHILLICOT, Ohio — The ongoing saga of Chillicothe physician’s assistant Rufus Lowman Jr. has taken a new twist as authorities in Lee County, Florida, have launched a criminal sexual abuse investigation. The Guardian was the first to bring to light the disturbing allegations against Lowman and his medical practice, Rose Medical Clinic, located at 14 Health Drive, in Chillicothe.

The most disturbing allegations involve the alleged sexual abuse of a minor. A female victim came forward claiming the abuse began in 2008, when she was just 11 years old. The abuse is said to have occurred over several years in both Florida and Ohio. Despite an audio recording allegedly containing Lowman’s confession to sexual abuse, the Ross County Sheriff’s Office has not filed charges because the victim allegedly did not cooperate. The investigation has been ongoing since 2015.

During its investigation, the Guardian obtained the same audio recording that purports to contain Lowman’s confession. In the recording, a man purporting to be Lowman accuses the child of initiating the sexual encounters, a claim that amounts to victim shaming. The man can be heard saying: “She was sexually active at the age of 7. She was groping people before she was bleeding.”

The audio recording describes the encounters between Lowman and the young girl with disturbing clarity. In one part of the recording, a man purporting to be Lowman describes the initial interactions as “innocent rubbing” before the child allegedly responded with “moans and groans.”

Lowman also reportedly admitted to entering the girl’s bedroom to abuse her. He said, “I laid down with her but didn’t do anything – nothing more than love.” In addition, he allegedly admitted to paying the victim to keep quiet about the abuse.

As the Guardian has now learned, authorities in Florida have launched a new criminal investigation into the alleged abuse that took place in their jurisdiction, even though the Ross County Sheriff’s Office has been aware of the allegations and alleged confession since 2015 but did not pursue the case and it is “still under investigation.”

The launch of this new investigation by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office underscores the seriousness of the allegations against Lowman and raises questions about the handling of the case by Ohio authorities.