Trial nears in rape case

SANDPOINT — Plea negotiations broke down at the last minute in the case of Sagle man charged with rape, clearing the way for a four-day jury trial in 1st District Court.

“The defendant decided that he wanted to go to trial instead,” Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall said during a pretrial hearing on Thursday.

Dean Duane Stevens Jr. was originally charged with rape, first-degree kidnapping and delivery of a controlled substance, but the state dropped the kidnapping charge as part of a possible plea agreement to resolve the case.

The kidnapping charge was reinstated when Stevens opted for a trial.

The proposed terms of the plea agreement were not disclosed in court and Marshall declined after the hearing to outline them.

Stevens, 40, is accused of luring a 16-year-old girl to a cabin in Samuels by offering her money to pose for nude photographs. Stevens allegedly plied her with methamphetamine, bound her and sexually assaulted her. The incident occurred in July 2009.

Stevens pleaded innocent to the charges and later said he possessed a digital video recording which he insisted would exonerate him. The recording, however, was not given to the state or disclosed by the defense.

Stevens’ trial is set to begin on Monday.

“We do expect voir dire to be lengthy,” Chief Public Defender Isabella Robertson said of the jury-selection process.

Marshall intends to call expert witnesses to address DNA and fingerprint evidence in the case. Nurses who examined the alleged victim are also expected to testify.

It remains unclear if the defense will call any witnesses. Robertson told the court that the use of defense witnesses depends on how the state’s case unfolds.

There was a chance that other matters could be set for trial on Monday, but Judge Charles Hosack said Stevens’ case would likely be a priority given its vintage.

“This case has been around for a while and needs to be tried,” he said.

Stevens remains jailed with his bail set at $500,000.