Overview

• On July 28, prosecutors say Willie Cowart, 69, tried to force a chemically laced red handkerchief over a 14-year-old’s mouth at Dudley and Washington streets in Roxbury.
• The boy fled to the Nubian Square bus station, alerted police, and identified Cowart, who was spotted wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
• Investigators found multiple chemical cleaning agents in Cowart’s vehicle, prompting Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden to call the facts “strange and extremely disturbing.”
• A judge released Cowart on personal recognizance with orders to stay away from the alleged victim and the scene.
• Cowart denies the allegations and is due back in Roxbury Municipal Court on October 29 for an appointment of counsel hearing with Suffolk County public defender staffing under strain.