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Sealed court hearing is held in rape case

KEITH KINNAIRD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 3 months AGO
by KEITH KINNAIRD
News Editor | March 23, 2017 1:00 AM

SANDPOINT — A sealed court hearing was conducted Wednesday in the case of a Dover man accused of rape.

There’s no record available to the public indicating what was discussed during the hearing in Aubrey Raven Stevens’ criminal case.

A preliminary hearing, an open court proceeding, is slated for March 29 in Bonner County Magistrate Court.

Stevens, 18, is accused of forcibly raping a 17-year-old girl on Feb. 14. A criminal complaint alleges that the teen’s resistance was overcome by force or violence or she was prevented from resisting by the infliction or threat of infliction of bodily harm. The complaint also alleges the teen may have been prevented from resisting due to an objectively reasonable belief that it would be futile.

Stevens faces an additional charge of forcible penetration with a foreign object for allegedly inserting a finger into the teen’s vagina.

Stevens became the subject of a $20,000 arrest warrant, but was released on his own recognizance after making an initial court appearance on March 7, court records indicate.

Stevens, who is unemployed, filed for the appointment of a public defender who withdrew because the attorney was related to the alleged victim. A conflict public defender was appointed to represent Stevens, but he has since retained private legal counsel, according to court documents.

Conspicuously absent from court filings are minutes from a probable cause hearing in which a judge found cause to bring the felony charges. Also absent from the file is a probable cause affidavit that would shed light on what occurred on the date in question.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.

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