LEE COUNTY, Florida — Disturbing new details are emerging in the child sexual abuse case against a former Chillicothe-area physician assistant, as newly obtained court records paint a graphic picture of the allegations facing Rufus Frank Lowman, 57, of Chillicothe.
Lowman was arrested last month by U.S. Marshals at his Ross County residence and subsequently extradited to Florida, where he was taken into custody by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in April. He faces two felony counts of lewd or lascivious molestation — one a life felony, the other a second-degree felony. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, investigators were first contacted in May 2024 by the Guardian. Following that contact, detectives reached out to the victim, who alleged that Lowman — her stepfather — sexually abused her over a period of years while the family lived in Lehigh Acres, Florida. Court records allege the abuse began when the victim was approximately 10 to 11 years old and continued until she was 18.
The victim told investigators that Lowman would enter her bedroom at night, and the abuse escalated over time. Records state he warned the victim not to tell her mother, threatening that it would cause her mother to commit suicide.
The victim’s mother told investigators she eventually became aware of the abuse when the victim was 18 years old. According to the affidavit, the mother recorded a conversation with Lowman in 2015 in which he allegedly made incriminating statements about the abuse. That same audio recording was released publicly by the Guardian two years ago — and notably, it is the same recording that the Ross County Sheriff’s Office had been in possession of for over a decade without ever charging Lowman. That revelation raises serious questions about how the Ross County Sheriff’s Office handled the case under the tenure of Sheriff George Lavender, and why local authorities failed to act on evidence that Florida prosecutors are now using as a cornerstone of their case.
On January 7, 2025, the victim was presented with a photo lineup by a law enforcement officer in Indiana, at which time she positively identified Lowman as her abuser.
The warrant, which called for extradition from anywhere in the United States, was issued on March 9, 2026. The State Attorney’s Office has filed a motion for pretrial detention, arguing that no conditions of release would adequately protect the community or ensure Lowman’s appearance at trial.
Lowman is due in a Lee County, Florida courtroom today — Tuesday, April 7, 2026 — at 1:30 p.m. for a hearing on the State’s Motion for Pretrial Detention, which seeks to hold him without bond pending trial.
Lowman is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The Scioto Valley Guardian does not identify victims of sexual assault.