Former Talk Show Host Begins Jail Term for Sexual Assault

Bethel and New Milford resident John McGowan has been in jail since 2011, when a jury found him guilty of forcibly sodomizing a woman. Now, with the failure of his appeal, he begins a prison term for the crime.

The onetime Danbury mayoral candidate and former host of a public access talk show called "John McGowan Presents" began a four-year sentence for sexual assault Thursday at the Bridgeport Correctional Facility. The state Appellate Court rejected his appeal on the charge, the Danbury News-Times reported Thursday, and McGowan surrendered to authorities at the State Superior Court in Litchfield on Feb. 15.

McGowan, 41, was convicted in October 2011 for forcible sodomy, according to the U.S. Sex Offender Registry. The six-member jury deliberated for two hours. According to a 13-page affidavit reprinted in part in Danbury political blog HatCityBLOG, he assaulted the woman -- who worked on the crew of his TV show -- at a house he was building in New Milford.

McGowan was a mayoral candidate for the Concerned Citizens Party of Connecticut. According to the News-Times, McGowan, who appeared in a wheelchair in his most recent court case, also described himself as a "senator for the Connecticut Republic." In his court case, McGowan claimed the state didn't have "jurisdiction" over him, according to HatCityBlog.