Public access TV host convicted of sex assault

LITCHFIELD, Conn. (AP) - A talk show host on public access cable television in Bethel who once ran for Danbury mayor has been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in 2008.

A six-person jury in Litchfield Superior Court convicted 45-year-old John McGowan on Wednesday of first-degree sexual assault, which carries two to 20 years in prison. Sentencing was set for Oct. 21.

Court documents say McGowan and the woman were having an affair. The woman testified that McGowan forcibly sodomized her during a sexual encounter in October 2008 at McGowan's partially built home in New Milford.

McGowan, host of "John McGowan Presents" on Comcast cable TV, said the woman consented to the sex act.

McGowan was detained after a judge raised his bond to more than $32,000.