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Sex offender sought for rape in Waldorf
Woman reported crime occurred in office's lot
Friday, Oct. 9, 2009
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Police are searching for a registered sex offender from Bryantown who is charged with raping a woman as she was getting into her car Sept. 30.
Charles County Sheriff's Office investigators developed Edward Stanley Stewart III as a suspect in the attack after linking him to an encounter with a patrol officer, who found the 23-year-old man sleeping on a bench near the location of the assault, police reported.
The victim, who didn't know her attacker, was in the parking lot of the Southern Maryland Business Center in Waldorf at 11:45 p.m. when a man forced her into her car and sexually assaulted her, the report stated. The woman fought the man, and he ran away, according to police. She reported the attack the next day at about 5 p.m.
On Oct. 1 at about 5:45 a.m., a patrol officer came across Stewart sleeping near the center, said Diane Richardson, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office. Although the assault hadn't been reported, police noted the encounter and later connected it to the rape, she said.
Stewart is a registered sex offender in Charles County, according to Richardson, and sheriff's officers performed checks at his home at least three times in September. Police checked Stewart's home "above and beyond" what is recommended because he fit into an intensive supervision category, she said.
Last year, he was charged with molesting an 8-year-old girl and entered an Alford plea to third-degree sex offense, meaning he didn't admit guilt but acknowledged the state's evidence could secure a conviction. He was given a one-year active sentence. He was also given a nine-year suspended sentence.
Court records indicate he violated his probation by testing positive for marijuana at least seven times and failing to attend an evaluation at the Charles County Health Department. He is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing Oct. 27.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging Stewart with first-degree rape and are searching for him. Stewart is about 5 feet 9 inches tall and has a slim to medium build. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts should call the sheriff's office at 301-932-2222.
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