Texas gang rape defendant goes missing

A defendant accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old Cleveland, Texas, girl disappeared just before the accuser was set to testify, officials said. The girl, who goes by the pseudonym Regina, has accused Eric Bernard McGowen, 21, and 19 other boys and men of sexually assaulting her during a five-month period in 2010. For the first time Wednesday, Regina, now 13, took the stand to publicly accuse McGowen and provide testimony of the abuse, the Houston Chronicle reported. McGowen, though, disappeared from the Liberty courtroom during a recess just before Regina's testimony. District Judge Mark Morefield issued an arrest warrant for the man and increased his bail by $250,000, the Chronicle reported. Cellphone videos of Regina's sexual assault went viral around the Cleveland school district, triggering the police investigation. Regina identified McGowan as a voice laughing in the background of one of the videos, shouting, "Beat that ho!" as another man appears to have anal sex with her. She testified Wednesday at one point she had sex with 20 men within a 10-hour period.