A Camas man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday for raping an 18-year-old woman with developmental disabilities in March 2018 in a restroom at a Vancouver community center.
Dwayne Ontonio Stewart Jr., 46, pleaded guilty June 25 in Clark County Superior Court to amended charges of third-degree rape and indecent liberties with no forcible compulsion. He was originally charged with second-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment with sexual motivation, court records show.
Stewart was on community custody at the time for a methamphetamine possession conviction, according to court records.
His sentence in the rape case was above the standard range, with two aggravating factors for rapid recidivism and a vulnerable victim.
On Monday, the victim’s mother told Judge Jennifer Snider prior to sentencing of the impact Stewart’s actions had on her daughter and those in her life.
Snider said the victim’s trauma and vulnerability were the bases for the exceptional sentence in the negotiated plea agreement.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Smith told Snider that Stewart also admitted, while in custody, to sexually assaulting another woman and recording the sexual acts with both women without their permission. Smith said the state agreed not to file additional charges against him if he pleaded guilty in this case.
At about 4:45 p.m. March 23, 2018, Stewart and the victim entered a public restroom at the Marshall Community Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd. He offered to pay the woman $100 to strip, and when she refused, he blocked her from leaving, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The woman tried to use her cellphone, but Stewart slapped her across the face and pulled off her clothing. He then sexually assaulted her, the affidavit states.
The victim had a sexual assault exam performed within hours of the incident, and investigators observed bruising on the left side of her face, court records say.
She also gave a physical and clothing description of the suspect. She said the man told her his name was “DJ” and that he was a Marine. The two had met outside near the Vancouver Community Library and walked to the area of the Marshall Center, according to court documents.
Multiple surveillance videos captured the two, and a transient man in the area recognized the suspect in the images as a man named “DJ.” He said “DJ” was recently in custody with him at the Clark County Jail, the affidavit states.
Investigators checked with the jail and discovered that a man, who goes by the name “DJ” and is a former Marine, was booked April 19, 2018, on unrelated charges. That man, identified as Stewart, was wearing the same shoes as those of the rape suspect, court records say.
A search of Stewart’s residence also turned up a black jacket that the suspect was seen wearing, according to court documents.
In an interview with a detective, Stewart said he recognized the victim and admitted to having sexual contact with her, the affidavit states.
