Marine accused of raping 12-year-old girl

Sgt. Brandon Bowman, 27, was attending training at Fort Bragg when the April 29 crime allegedly occurred in the Cottonade neighborhood on Shortridge Road near the post.

Officers responding to a complaint of suspicious activity in some woods found the girl on her bicycle leaving the woods.

Bowman, who was found in the woods, was arrested Wednesday on two counts of first-degree sex offense with a child and one count each of first-degree rape of a child and taking indecent liberties with a child.

He was in the Cumberland County jail under a $2.3 million bond Thursday.

The alleged encounter might not be the first time the two met.

A man who lives in the Cottonade neighborhood told WRAL News that for four consecutive days prior to April 29, he saw a man park his car on the street and then disappear into the woods for about an hour with a girl.

Police have not said on what website Bowman and the girl met but have said it was not Facebook or Myspace.

A military spokesman said Bowman arrived at Fort Bragg on April 22 for pre-deployment training at the Joint Special Operations Command.