BOSTON, MA - A Massachusetts man has been accused of placing a "chemical-laced handkerchief" over the nose and mouth of a 13-year-old boy who was standing on the street waiting to be picked up.
The alleged suspect, Willie Cowart, 69, was taken into custody and has been charged with one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, Law & Crime reported. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said that officers with the Boston Police Department and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police responded to an assault and battery that took place at the corner of Dudley and Washington Streets in Roxbury.
The alleged incident took place on July 28th, around 12:21 p.m. Upon arriving on the scene, police made contact with the victim, who told them he had been "waiting for his brother to pick him up when an older man wearing a Hawaiian shirt approached, poured an unknown liquid on a red handkerchief, and tried to put the handkerchief over his mouth."
The young victim said he fled from the man, later identified as Cowart, and ran to the nearby Nubian Square bus station, where he was able to contact police. Shortly after arriving at Dudley and Washington, police spotted Cowart, who they said was still wearing the same Hawaiian shirt and holding a red handkerchief.
"Cowart, who was sweating profusely, denied knowing the victim or having any interaction with him," the DA said. However, when police conducted a search of his vehicle, they said they recovered "several chemical cleaning agents from inside the car."
The victim was treated on-scene by Boston Emergency Medical Services. While he was getting checked out, he positively identified Cowart as the alleged assailant, and Cowart was arrested without incident. Cowart was processed and released on personal recognizance.
A judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and the area where the alleged assault took place. He is scheduled to be back in court on October 29th. "This is a strange, and extremely disturbing, set of facts," Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. "It doesn't take much imagination to appreciate how frightening it was for this young man to be standing on a street corner and suddenly be accosted in such a bizarre manner. I'm grateful that he suffered no apparent injuries."
The victim spoke with WBZ and provided additional details about what happened to him. "It's basically like facing your biggest fear, like the way the guy was looking, too," the boy said. "So, yeah, my heart was beating fast and stuff. Yeah, I was really scared."
"I was kind of scared because it was like my first time this ever happened to me, and I've been seeing this on like TV so many times about people getting kidnapped and stuff, so yeah, I was kind of scared," the victim said. The victim said the whole incident has terrified his parents. They no longer want him on the street alone.
"I can't go outside, my mom told me, until I'm 20," he said. "[I can't] go outside by myself when school is finished, I can't stay after school."
The alleged suspect, Willie Cowart, 69, was taken into custody and has been charged with one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, Law & Crime reported. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said that officers with the Boston Police Department and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police responded to an assault and battery that took place at the corner of Dudley and Washington Streets in Roxbury.
The alleged incident took place on July 28th, around 12:21 p.m. Upon arriving on the scene, police made contact with the victim, who told them he had been "waiting for his brother to pick him up when an older man wearing a Hawaiian shirt approached, poured an unknown liquid on a red handkerchief, and tried to put the handkerchief over his mouth."
The young victim said he fled from the man, later identified as Cowart, and ran to the nearby Nubian Square bus station, where he was able to contact police. Shortly after arriving at Dudley and Washington, police spotted Cowart, who they said was still wearing the same Hawaiian shirt and holding a red handkerchief.
"Cowart, who was sweating profusely, denied knowing the victim or having any interaction with him," the DA said. However, when police conducted a search of his vehicle, they said they recovered "several chemical cleaning agents from inside the car."
The victim was treated on-scene by Boston Emergency Medical Services. While he was getting checked out, he positively identified Cowart as the alleged assailant, and Cowart was arrested without incident. Cowart was processed and released on personal recognizance.
A judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and the area where the alleged assault took place. He is scheduled to be back in court on October 29th. "This is a strange, and extremely disturbing, set of facts," Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. "It doesn't take much imagination to appreciate how frightening it was for this young man to be standing on a street corner and suddenly be accosted in such a bizarre manner. I'm grateful that he suffered no apparent injuries."
The victim spoke with WBZ and provided additional details about what happened to him. "It's basically like facing your biggest fear, like the way the guy was looking, too," the boy said. "So, yeah, my heart was beating fast and stuff. Yeah, I was really scared."
"I was kind of scared because it was like my first time this ever happened to me, and I've been seeing this on like TV so many times about people getting kidnapped and stuff, so yeah, I was kind of scared," the victim said. The victim said the whole incident has terrified his parents. They no longer want him on the street alone.
"I can't go outside, my mom told me, until I'm 20," he said. "[I can't] go outside by myself when school is finished, I can't stay after school."
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Comments
2025-08-12T09:50-0400 | Comment by: Dean
Unbelievable that they gave this guy ror.He would have to pay a substantial bail in my town of Ephrata,pa.These kind of creeps should be turned over to the victims family.If this kind of practice took place you can bet that that type of crime would stop.