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Fonthill butcher sex assault case still lacks prosecutor

Rick Lowes is on the docket again in a Welland courtroom on November 19 at 9 AM. Lowes, 65, was charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference with person under 16 in March.
Country Corner Market, Fonthill. VOICE FILE

Rick Lowes is on the docket again in a Welland courtroom on November 19 at 9 AM.

Lowes, 65, was charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference with person under 16 in March. He was released on a $2,000 bond after his arrest. A publication ban prohibits the disclosure of any identifying information about the alleged victims.

Welland-based lawyer Mark Evans has represented Lowes via Zoom teleconference in Welland court for all eight previous court appearances, most recently on October 22. Lowes has yet to appear in person.

On September 22, Evans informed the court that he and his client are still in the process of reviewing a lengthy disclosure document.

A crown prosecutor has not yet been appointed to the case for trial.

Lowes owns and operates the Country Corner Market, at Quaker Road and Line Avenue in Fonthill, and has supported numerous charitable causes in Pelham and Niagara with food donations in the past. He was recognized as the Fonthill and District Kinsmen Club’s Citizen of the Year in 2008.