A 22-year-old Battle Ground man is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl he met online.
Tanner D. Stewart made a first appearance Friday in Clark County Superior Court on allegations of second-degree rape, second-degree rape of a child, second-degree child molestation and indecent liberties. He is being held on a total of $90,000 bail, court records show, and will be arraigned Jan. 4.
Court documents show that Clark County sheriff’s deputies arrested Stewart on Thursday, more than two weeks after he was reported for allegedly stealing firearms from his parents’ house. His location was unknown at the time.
The alleged victim did not tell anyone about being raped until a couple months later, when she saw Stewart in public and had a panic attack, according to a probable cause affidavit. She then told a sibling.
During an interview at the Arthur D. Curtis Children’s Justice Center, the girl said she had met Stewart online and chatted with him for six months before meeting in person. Stewart told her he was 16, according to the affidavit.
“He picked her up at her middle school and took her back to his residence where they talked and he played music. She described him as being a ‘gentleman’ during this meeting,” the affidavit says.
A few weeks later, Stewart and the girl met up again. They went to Stewart’s home to watch a movie, and he convinced her to stay the night, according to the affidavit.
Stewart began touching and kissing the girl, who asked him to stop because she was too young, according to the affidavit, but Stewart allegedly forced himself on her.
The next morning, Stewart “dropped her off and told her he is actually 19 so she should not tell anyone what happened,” the affidavit says.
A charging document says Stewart’s alleged crimes happened sometime between February and June.
A deputy contacted Stewart and arranged to meet with him, but the interview was postponed because Stewart was ill. The following week, Stewart said he’d been advised to speak with an attorney, according to court records.
When Stewart disappeared, allegedly with his parents’ guns, authorities informed the victim’s family. The affidavit notes that Stewart has a history of harassing and stalking a former girlfriend, as well as multiple instances of violating restraining orders.
