By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Bail was set at $25,000 for a 32-year-old Centralia man charged yesterday with third-degree rape in connection with an encounter with a 16-year-old girl late last month.
Stephen M. Douglas Jr. was arrested on Friday after he was questioned by detectives at his home.
The incident was reported to the Chehalis Police Department after the teen’s father took her to the hospital for an exam, following her disclosure what had happened, according to court documents.
The girl takes busses between Centralia and Chehalis for school and instead of going to school that day, she got off the bus with a guy she’d met prior, near a pot store where he made a purchase and then they took a walk up the road behind a gate, according to charging documents.
The 16-year-old said he put his coat on the ground and told her to perform oral sex, then took off both their pants and had sex with her.
Under questioning, the girl said she may have said no, but didn’t remember. However, she described drawing her forearms together in front of her with her elbows out and also trying to close her legs during the incident, according to charging documents.
“… (She) decided to close her eyes because she was afraid and didn’t want to look at him anymore,” Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Melissa Bohm wrote.
By her description, the Chehalis police detective concluded the bus stop was near The Vintage along North National Avenue in Chehalis.
The detective tracked down Douglas by finding surveillance photos from Wal-Mart. He reportedly went there to get the girl new pants and dry socks because hers had gotten muddy.
When asked why she decided to stay with him instead of going to school, the teenager said he seemed like a nice person and she trusted him, Bohm wrote.
On Friday when detectives interviewed Douglas, he said after work that morning he went to Wal-Mart to cash his check, bought little bottles of vodka to drink at the bus stop, walked to the pot shop to buy some product and then took a bus home, according to Bohm.
Third-degree rape is a class C felony, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Its elements include the victim not consenting to sexual intercourse, and where the lack of consent was clearly expressed by words or conduct.
Deputy Prosecutor Bohm yesterday afternoon asked Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler to hold Douglas on $25,000 bail. The judge agreed.
Douglas’s arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I like how a rape story ends up attacking Centralia’s Founder who happens to be a Black Man who set up a town in a flood plain. #HighGroundMatters Welcome to Centralia home of the unusual and a town with less crime than New York.This rape story smells like fish the Centralia Barnacle said she was 17 I though. In 1930 grandpa was knocking grandma’s boots when she was thirteen and he was 20. Good grief this girl was pressured by her parents for not being accounted for and cried Rape. GTFOOH. They pulled this sams BS. On Wagoneer whom sued Lewis County… pSt Jonathan Myer do the right thing, Gumby.
On the positive side, since it was a Chehalis police officer, we won’t have to worry about that deputy lying in court and getting the whole thing tossed out again.
Agreed, Bo. There seem to be a few inconsistencies going on, although I won’t blame public transit, flooding or Jesus.
Wyatt does have some good points in his response, but he is too frank and should be more sensitive
to the people that can’t believe their ears. the first thing Centralia needs to do is get rid of the imbecilic who is running the Port and start planning around real projected growth and not project fake numbers so you can bring in big box stores tom use the excuse to take peoples property. by the way-I don’t live in the flood plain, just next to it.
maybe Naïve should be named native, first asking who built the town in the middle of a flood plain, then commenting on who the person was, but if you were native, then you would just pick up your teepee and move it to higher ground-and us white trash folks might not be so stupid after all cause we can just move our “mobile Home” out of the way of the flood waters? I have to wonder if us white trash with out mobile homes are kind of like natives since we can move our homes-lol. by the way, if you f_ ck with me, you f_ck with the whole trailer park
Whomever it was that decided to build a town smack-dab in the middle of a flood plain, and then fill it full of white trash bible-thumpers was a goddamn genius.
Thank you Mr. George Washington, founder of Centralia. When we saw what the racist French bastard did to New Orleans, we knew you would return the favor in kind.
Damn right no respectful person would step foot in a city bus.
Wow Wyatt you have no idea what the bus service provides..thinking that all it does is haul around “lowlifes and homeless” shows how you don’t ride the service nor how it provides jobs for people in Chehalis and Centralia. This girl has alot of stuff going on right now..way to be supportive..and the city planning..when did you become a engineer?
Nice job city council for putting a bus stop next to the pot shop and the old folks home perfect for pedophiles and minors to get heir freak on! They should discontinue the buses nothing but a waste and catering to lowlifes and homeless. Get a cab or get a job so you can afford one! I commend your efforts license another grease bucket fast food restaurant in the flood plain! City planning is a nightmare,… you got the school district, industrial, retail and the red light district over lapping each other. Good luck with that. 50 years from now people will say wtf were these fools smoking. Go back to college you obviously have no idea what your doing. Helping your daughters friends dads start a business or awarding contracts to your golf buddies isn’t how you get shit done.
Can’t remember if she said no???????? Sounds pretty fishy to me!