Inset: Willie Cowart (BPD). Background: The area in Boston where Cowart allegedly assaulted a 13-year-old boy (WBZ).
A 69-year-old man in Massachusetts faces accusations of using a “chemical-laced handkerchief” on a 13-year-old boy who was waiting on the street to be picked up.
Willie Cowart was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, authorities announced.
Based on a news release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, officers from the Boston Police Department and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police responded around 12:21 p.m. on July 28 to reports of an assault and battery occurring at the intersection of Dudley and Washington Streets in Roxbury.
First responders reported that upon arriving, they communicated with the victim, who described waiting for his brother when an older man in a Hawaiian shirt approached, poured an unidentified liquid on a red handkerchief, and attempted to place it over his mouth.
The victim stated that he escaped from the individual—later identified as Cowart—and ran towards the Nubian Square bus station, where he was able to alert the police.
Shortly afterward, police arrived at Dudley and Washington, spotting Cowart, who was recognized by his Hawaiian shirt and his possession of the red handkerchief.
“Cowart, who was sweating profusely, denied knowing the victim or having any interaction with him,” the release states.
However, when officers conducted a search of his vehicle, they said they recovered “several chemical cleaning agents from inside the car.”
The victim, after receiving on-site care from Boston Emergency Medical Services, confirmed Cowart as the alleged attacker, leading to his arrest without any incident.
The victim spoke with local CBS affiliate WBZ and provided additional details about what allegedly happened.
“It’s basically like facing your biggest fear, like the way the guy was looking, too,” the boy, who did not want to appear on camera, told the station. “So yeah, my heart was beating fast and stuff. Yeah, I was really scared.”
He continued, saying, “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 the TV so many times about people getting kidnapped and stuff, so yeah, I was kind of scared.”
According to the victim, the incident terrified his parents, who 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.”
Cowart was processed and released on personal recognizance. A judge reportedly ordered him to stay away from the victim and the area where the alleged assault took place. He is due to appear in court again on Oct. 29.
“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.”
