Sex offender charged again

Man out of jail for abusing girl indicted in rape

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

She had just settled her purse into the car and was about to climb inside when something in her peripheral vision attracted her attention.

What caught the woman's eye was a stranger standing behind her in the Waldorf parking lot, where her co-worker had dropped her off shortly before midnight on Sept. 30. The man, identified in court documents as registered sex offender Edward Stanley Stewart III, reportedly shoved the woman, who struck her head on the car and blacked out.

When the victim woke up, the man was sexually assaulting her, according to documents in the case, which was indicted Oct. 23 into circuit court.

The records state that the woman kicked the man in the chest and her attacker stepped back and said, "What?" He then ran around the building, the Southern Maryland Business Center, and disappeared, according to the court papers.

The next day, a Charles County patrol officer found Stewart of Bryantown lying on a bench outside the same building on Old Washington Road. Stewart said he was homeless and was trying to find a place to sleep. The 23-year-old man is a registered sex offender and had never notified the sheriff's office that he didn't have a home, the documents stated.

At about 5 p.m. Oct. 1, the victim told police she had been assaulted, and investigators linked the report to the earlier sighting of Stewart at Old Washington Road, according to the court papers. Using the victim's description of her attacker, police made a composite sketch, which closely resembled Stewart.

Stewart, who was arrested in Temple Hills on Oct. 9, admitted to having sex with a woman matching the description of the victim, according to his charging document.

A nurse's exam of the victim showed she had injuries that backed up her account, according to court papers.

Stewart is charged in Charles County Circuit Court with first-degree rape, second-degree rape, third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense, first-degree assault and second-degree assault. He is being held in jail without bond.

Stewart's attorney filed a motion Oct. 29 to set bond, saying his client denies involvement in the alleged assault and could be released to a stable home, court records show.

Last year, Stewart entered an Alford plea to third-degree sex offense, not admitting guilt but acknowledging that the state's evidence could lead to his conviction in a trial.

He had been charged with child sexual abuse for allegedly molesting an 8-year-old girl at a barbecue in Waldorf.

In accordance with his plea agreement, Stewart was sentenced to serve one year in jail. He was also issued a nine-year suspended sentence.

brodgers@somdnews.com