Rohnert Park man sentenced to life in prison for decade-long child abuse

A Rohnert Park man accused of molesting several children over more than a decade was sentenced to life in prison Thursday in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Judge Christopher Honisberg sentenced Dana McGowan, 70, to 45 years to life in state prison after he pleaded no contest in June to three counts of committing sex acts with a child 10 years of age or younger and eight counts of lewd acts with a child under 14. The charges stemmed from reported abuse of four girls dating between 2009 and 2020.

McGowan was arrested by Rohnert Park officers in November 2020 after one of the victims, then 17, reported to the department that she had been abused by McGowan, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The teenager said the abuse began when she was six and lasted until she was 12.

Detectives investigating the case found that the young woman wasn’t McGowan’s only victim and that over the course of more than a decade he had abused four girls who reported to police they’d endured years of continual sexual abuse by McGowan.

One reported being abused as recently as April of that year.

The District Attorney’s Office said McGowan met the girls through family friendships, some which began through work as a heavy equipment operator.

McGowan was booked into jail on 40 separate felony counts, including lewd acts with a child under 10 years old, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and sending obscene materials to a minor.

He remained in custody as his case proceeded after his bail was set at $16 million.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch commended the victims for their “strength” in working with police and her office to prosecute McGowan.

The District Attorney’s Office said the young women gave “impactful statements detailing the abuse they suffered and the lasting traumatic effect his actions had on their lives.”

One victim told the judge the abuse left her afraid of the dark and she didn’t want to sleep in her own bed. She said she was relieved McGowan would be spending the rest of his life behind bars, and she and the other victims said the sentencing will allow them to move forward.

“This sentence would not have been possible but for the strength of the young victims in this case,” Ravitch said in the DA’s announcement. “Their willingness and ability to confront this man in court not only resulted in his having to take responsibility for what he did to them, but assures that he can’t hurt others in the future.”

A message left with Evan Zelig, the attorney listed as representing McGowan in online Sonoma County court records, was not immediately returned.

Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez contributed to this report.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.