According to Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy…

According to Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Derrick O’Meara, who is the Director of the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center(CAC), a former Rome man was arrested in the State of Florida subsequent to a recent CAC investigation. In May of 2024, the CAC received a report from the Office of Children and Family Services and a multidisciplinary investigation comprised of Child Protective Services and Law Enforcement assigned at the CAC, commenced an investigation into the allegations which consisted of sexual abuse of a child.

Upon the completion of the investigation, it was learned that Anthony Owens, age 44, formerly of the City of Rome, had subjected a female child less than 13 years old to sexual contact. The case was then turned over to the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office and was subsequently presented to the Oneida County Grand Jury, which returned an indictment against Anthony Owens for the charge of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony. A Superior Court Warrant of Arrest was signed by the Honorable Oneida County Court Judge Michael Dwyer on June 25, 2024 and received by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Unit.

The OCSO Warrants Unit, which is comprised of Task Force Officer’s with the United States Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, then requested assistance from the U.S. Marshal’s Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force, Middle District of Florida-Tampa Office when it was learned that Owens was in Tampa, Florida.

On July 16, 2024 Owens was located at a residence in Tampa and taken into custody on the warrant by members of the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

Owens waived extradition in the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsborough County, Florida and on July 28, 2024 Owens was extradited from Florida to Oneida County, New York.

On July 29, 2024 Owens was arraigned in Oneida County Court and remanded to the Oneida County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.

The victim was been offered services through the Child Advocacy Center.