Ohio Woman Tipped Cops to Sowell Last Year

Said she fought, fled his attack; allegations were dismissed
By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 17, 2009 12:04 PM CST
Ohio Woman Tipped Cops to Sowell Last Year
Anthony Sowell is led into court for arraignment on rape, kidnapping, attempted murder and felonious assault charges.   (AP Photo)

A Cleveland woman says she was assaulted by accused murderer Anthony Sowell last December in a struggle that left her blood at his house—but after she narrowly escaped and went to the police, authorities believed him instead of her. In the ensuing months, five more women went missing. Wade says a police detective was skeptical of her allegations because she herself had a pending assault charge.

At the time, Sowell claimed that Gladys Wade was trying to rob him, and “it was my word against his,” she tells the Plain Dealer. “I was devastated. It was like a slap to my face.” Cleveland police say they brought the case to a prosecutor who declined to move forward because of a lack of evidence. The prosecutor says police indicated Wade was not credible. “All those women that might be alive if these people had only believed me,” she laments. (More Anthony Sowell stories.)

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