Hoover police arrest east Alabama minister charged with sexually abusing young boy

Hoover police on Tuesday arrested a 37-year-old minister from Southside in east Alabama, saying he engaged in deviant sexual intercourse with a boy between the ages of 12 and 15.

Police identified the suspect as Paul Edward Acton Bowen and said he is the founder of the Acton Bowen Outreach Ministries.

He has been a co-host of the Top 3 show on Juce TV, a youth-oriented Christian television network owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network, according to a bio that was on his ministry website. He speaks up to 20 times a month at churches, youth weekend events, citywide crusades, camps, conferences, school assemblies and leadership seminars, before more than 350,000 people each year, according to the bio.

His victim in this case was an underage family acquaintance, police Capt. Gregg Rector said.

Police began investigating the case three weeks ago and obtained an arrest warrant for Bowen on Monday. He was arrested Tuesday in Pelham and released from the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham this morning on bonds totaling $90,300.

He is charged with second-degree sodomy, enticing a child for immoral purposes and second-degree sexual abuse.

Rector said the victim in this case is doing well and has been in a safe environment since police were notified of the offenses. Police do not plan to release more details of the case due to its sensitive nature and the age of the victim.

The investigation into the case continues, and police urge anyone with information about this case or any related incidents to call Detective Brandon Harris at (205) 444-7742.