Area man gets prison time for sexual assault

Published 2:25 pm Monday, January 27, 2025

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NILES — A man was sentenced to prison Monday in Berrien County Trial Court on a criminal sexual conduct related charge.

Brenden Allen Cowgill, 24, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual penetration and was sentenced to 38 months to 120 months in prison with credit for 196 days already served. He must register as a sex offender and pay $258 in fines and costs.

The incident occurred in January, 2024 in Buchanan. Cowgill was originally charged with third degree criminal sexual conduct.

Berrien County Assistant Prosecutor Myrene Koch noted that the victim continues to suffer trauma from the incident.

“The victim has had flashbacks and has difficulty going places,” she said. “It has had a ripple effect where she has problems trusting others and has fear and anxiety.”

Defense attorney Carri Briseno described Cowgill as “quite immature” and said the incident occurred after he was drinking alcohol at a friend’s house.

“He has had quite a bit of time to reflect on his actions and the choices he made,” she said.

Cowgill said he has learned a lot from the incident, including thinking before he acts and being careful about who he associates with.

“There have been some positives, I’ve grown closer to God, I haven’t wasted m time in jail,” he said. “I want to go back to school and have a career, I want to change the path my life is on.”

Berrien County Trial Court Judge Gordon Hosbein said he was concerned about Cowgill’s apparent lack of concern for the victim.

“It appeared you disagreed with the impact the crime had on the victim when the prosecutor was talking,” the judge said. “You choked her and made her have sex with you. I’m flabbergasted that you wouldn’t know those things were wrong.”

“With the impact this incident had on her, I wouldn’t expect her to be here and make a statement,” he added. “She will go through the rest of her life dealing with this, she will be dealing with this a lot longer than you will. I hope you understand the impact this had on her. The ripple effect is real.”

The judge told Cowgill that the only reason he didn’t deviate higher than the sentencing guidelines was because Cowgill has a limited criminal record with only one prior misdemeanor.