SALINAS -  On April 25, 2017, Vincent Tyrone Fowler, 45, of Salinas was sentenced to more than 61 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.  In addition, Fowler threatened to kill the teen if she told anyone or screamed during the attack.

“California Department of Justice criminalists are true heroes in the criminal justice work they perform every single day,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “They provide the proof that sends rapists and other criminalists to prison.   They’re work, and the work of detectives and prosecutors, is allowing a 15-year-old rape victim to feel a sense of relief that this person will never be a threat to her again.”

On October 26, 2015, the teen had become sick at school and needed a ride home.  Her grandmother asked Fowler if he could pick up the teen and take her home.  Instead of taking the teen to her own home, Fowler took the teen to his place of residence where he sexually assaulted and raped her.  According to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, Fowler continued the assault even after his wife had returned home and was in another room.

When Fowler’s wife entered the living room and found the teen on the floor, the teen ran from the house and flagged down her mother who was on the road coming to pick her up.

“DOJ criminalists were a huge voice for this victim,” said Barcelona.  “Without the work of DOJ criminalists, the criminal justice system would be incomplete.”