Lincoln City, Ore. – A former Newport High School special education assistant accused of sexual assault was found dead in the Lincoln County Jail.
Newport police said they originally began investigating 61-year-old Stephen Douglas Curry in January 2015 after he was seen exiting a locked storage closed with a 14-year-old female student.
Due to the limited information gathered, the investigation remained open and no charges were filed at the time.
According to the Newport Police Department, in May 2017 the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into Curry for an unrelated sexual assault case involving a minor.
The sheriff’s office worked with Newport police to identify additional evidence related to the 2015 case.
On June 15, 2017, an arrest warrant was issued for Curry. Five days later, Curry was taken into custody without incident at his home on Yasek Loop in Toledo.
He was subsequently lodged at the Lincoln County Jail on charges of rape, sodomy and sex abuse.
On July 4 at around 5:30 a.m. jail staff found Curry unresponsive during a routine breakfast service.
Curry was pronounced dead after medics arrived.
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