Man charged with raping teen at gunpoint

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man awaiting sentencing in an underage sex case has been arrested on suspicion of forcibly raping a 16-year old girl.

Dean Duane Stevens Jr. bound the teen, held a handgun to her head and threatened to kill her during the sexual assault, said Prosecutor Louis Marshall.

Stevens was picked up on a $500,000 arrest warrant on Saturday.

Stevens, 38, met the girl at City Beach on Thursday and allegedly offered her $5,000 to pose for nude photos, according to probable cause hearing testimony. Sheriff’s Det. Gary Johnston told Judge Barbara Buchanan the two went to a remote cabin in the Samuels area on Friday.

Both the defendant and the alleged victim consumed methamphetamine and the teenager posed for pictures on the hood of a vehicle, Johnston told the court. Stevens is accused of taking the teen inside the cabin, where he tied her up and raped her at gunpoint.

Stevens allegedly took the teen home and she subsequently called authorities to report the incident.

A search warrant was issued for Stevens’ residence in a gated community west of Sandpoint. The warrant seeks computer and camera equipment, clothing and other evidence. Another warrant was issued so investigators could obtain samples of Stevens’ hair, blood, saliva and urine, court documents show.

Judge Barbara Buchanan sustained Stevens’ bail and ordered him to have no contact with the alleged victim. He is already being represented by a public defender.

Stevens was charged last year with engaging in lewd conduct with a girl from 2004 to 2006, when she between the ages of 14 and 15.

During his trial in 1st District Court this spring, Stevens abruptly entered into a plea agreement with the state, which reduced the lewd conduct charge to aggravated assault.

Stevens entered an Alford plea to the amended charge, which meant he admitted no wrongdoing, but conceded he could be convicted of the crime.

Stevens was scheduled to be sentenced last month, although the hearing was postponed so an unspecified mental health condition could be stabilized with medication, court documents indicate.

He had been free on $2,500 bail while the case was pending.

A preliminary hearing in the rape case is pending. If convicted as charged, Stevens faces one to 14 years in prison. Marshall is seeking an enhanced penalty because a firearm was used in the commission of the offense, which could tack on an additional 15 years.