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Ex-Prison Guard Pleads Not Guilty To Raping Teen

POSTED: 4:53 pm PST November 19, 2007
UPDATED: 8:32 pm PST November 19, 2007

A former South Dakota prison guard accused of raping a 14-year-old Escondido girl he met online, then luring her to the Midwest where he raped her again, pleaded not guilty Monday in San Diego to eight charges.

Charles "Chuck" Leroy Crowell, 35, was extradited last week from South Dakota, where he pleaded guilty to raping the same girl and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, said San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Gretchen Means.

Crowell pleaded not guilty Monday to statutory rape, committing lewd acts on a child and contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sex offense, she said.

Superior Court Judge David Szumowski ordered the defendant held without bail and scheduled a readiness hearing for Nov. 30. A preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 4.

The Escondido girl was discovered missing Jan. 7 by her parents, after they had twice foiled her plans to meet Crowell at a San Diego motel where he had checked in three days earlier, police said.

The girl's parents monitored her Internet use and discovered what they felt were inappropriate visits to chat rooms, including the popular MySpace.com. But after they shut down her Web access, Crowell and the girl apparently continued to communicate via text messaging, investigators said.

Police found the teen safe Jan. 8 as she and Crowell drove up to his apartment in Sioux Falls, S.D.


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