By Mike Weland

The case against Katherine and Richard Cowell broke quickly, from report to investigation to arrest in a matter of hours on Wednesday afternoon. By early Thursday afternoon both, one after the other, had requested public defenders, listened to judge Tera Harden read their charge, “conspiracy to commit lewd conduct with a child under 16,” and set their bond at a million dollars each. On Thursday, the jail they slept in was in Bonner County.
And though quick, it was an arrest that weighed heavy on all the law enforcement personnel involved. For it was a true “here but for the grace of God go I” situation, hard to contemplate.
“The incident was reported the afternoon/evening of February 5, 2025,” Boundary County Sheriff Travis Stolley wrote. “The investigation began following a report made by BFPD Police Chief Willie Cowell.”
Willie Cowell did what he had to do, but it had to be wrenching, reporting own brother and sister-in-law on allegations of crimes so terrible that, if proven, carry the potential of life in prison.
And while every officer and deputy involved had little recourse but to think what it must be like to experience such an ordeal while praying they never had to find out, none are surprised that the two are in jail.
That’s called “integrity.”
News travels fast to El Dorado County, CA. Considering the “Police Chief”, as an adult, used to shoot innocent dogs on the side of the road with his own father. Must not require pre-psychological evals to become an officer there.
And your comment, is the opposite of the definition of integrity. Pathetic.
Thank you for posts like this…. we were all thinking about Will when the news broke! Many of us are DEVASTATED and appreciate all updates!!