IPSO: Suspect has a long criminal record

LOREAUVILLE — The man who fired a shotgun at an Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy and set his ex-wife’s house on fire in a hostage situation here Tuesday has an extensive criminal record and was released recently from a mental institution, local law enforcement authorities said.

James Herbert Bowden Jr., 75, already has done time behind bars for charges similar to those he is now facing from Tuesday’s incident. He served 10 years of hard labor at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping, which he was convicted of in Houma in 1985, said Capt. Wendell Raborn, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office.

Bowden was released on parole in 1995, a probation that lasted until 2005, Raborn said.

But his criminal activity began much earlier, records indicate. Bowden has a juvenile record that extends back to 1949, Raborn said.

In his 75 years, Bowden has been charged with breaking and entering, counterfeiting and possession of marijuana, in addition to the attempted first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping charges.

Bowden’s ex-wife, Betty, 74, told the Sheriff’s Office that Bowden had been threatening her and her family, which led to her getting a restraining order against him. Raborn said she was informed a few days ago that Bowden was being released from a mental health facility in Crowley. 

The Sheriff’s Office was unable Tuesday to provide specifics regarding Bowden’s mental treatment history. Members of the community said he had been treated for bipolar disease, but a spokeswoman for the Community Mental Health Center in Crowley was unable to provide details of or confirm Bowden’s stay at the institution before press time this morning.

Bowden is facing multiple charges stemming from Tuesday’s hostage situation including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated arson, violation of a restraining order, possession of a firearm or carrying a concealed weapon by a person convicted of certain felonies and simple and aggravated cruelty to animals.

Betty Bowden’s German shepherd died in Tuesday’s fire. Bowden was booked Tuesday afternoon into the Iberia Parish Correctional Center where he’s being held on $750,000, according to booking reports.

“He’s not going to be out for a long time,” Raborn said.