Man accused of rape apparently kills self outside courthouse

A 38-year-old man who was set to make his first appearance on suspicion of child rape apparently committed suicide Tuesday morning in a pickup truck parked near the Clark County Courthouse.

Stephen W. Schwarz died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head inside a vehicle parked in front of the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center.

Emergency crews were dispatched shortly after 9 a.m. to the intersection of West 11th and Franklin streets. The man was found inside the vehicle. There was a single bullet hole through the driver’s side window.

A block of West 11th Street, between Franklin and Esther streets, was closed while the Vancouver Fire Department and American Medical Response transported the man to a local hospital.

Authorities late Tuesday afternoon confirmed the deceased as Schwarz.

Close to the same time of the shooting, Schwarz was supposed to make an appearance in Clark County Courthouse’s arraignment courtroom. He was charged with first-degree rape of a child, communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and indecent exposure.

He wasn’t there when Superior Court Judge Diane Woolard called his name, so, believing he was guilty of bail jumping, she issued a no-bail warrant.

Later in the morning, a lawyer informed Woolard’s judicial assistant about the apparent suicide.