Butler man jailed in child rape case
A Butler man is in the county jail on $100,000 monetary bail after being charged with raping a young girl last month at his home on Cunningham Street.
City police on Thursday filed charges of rape, indecent assault and corruption of minors against Edwin D. Bell, 64, after what investigators describe in court documents as a drug-fueled and violent sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13.
Police say the attack occurred Sept. 15 at Bell’s home, where the girl had gone to collect cans for her mother, who would exchange them for money.
In an interview with police, the girl told officers that Bell started smoking marijuana and made her smell it, before suddenly kissing her on the lips.
What ensued was a physical altercation in which the girl slapped, punched and kicked Bell while he allegedly groped her, exposed himself and eventually “ripped her clothes off,” according to court documents.
Police said the girl begged Bell to stop, but he forced her to touch him inappropriately and threatened her.
“He told me not to tell anyone or he would kill me,” the girl told police, according to court documents.
Bell then raped the girl, she told police, and threatened her again, telling her that “if you tell anyone about this I will literally kill you.”
Bell also allegedly locked the girl in his bathroom at one point that day, though it was not immediately clear from court documents whether that occurred before or after the alleged sexual assault.
The girl told police that after the assault she went to the Sunoco gas station on West Jefferson Street, where Bell followed her, buying himself lottery tickets and giving her money for a milkshake.
Police said in an Oct. 25 interview with Bell he admitted to kissing the girl on the mouth sometime last month, and “stated he had more than just a regular affection for her.”
Online court documents did not list an attorney for Bell. He is charged with felony rape of a child, rape, and misdemeanor counts of indecent sexual assault of a person younger than 13 and corruption of minors.
