A preliminary hearing has been set for next month in the felony theft case brought against Darrin Stewart, a man whose now-defunct company once provided stages and lighting for the Winfield Country Roundup.
The hearing – in which Stewart will have a chance to hear the state’s evidence against him – is set for Aug.23 in Cowley County Dist. Court. That date was set during Stewart’s first appearance Monday.
According to the criminal complaint, Stewart is accused of taking $80,000 from a Pryor, Okla. resident. In 2008, Stewart is said to have taken money from the man as an investment in a business enterprise that never materialized.
Charging documents indicate Stewart obtained the money knowing the business would never open.
The business project was unrelated to the Roundup, though the incident is said to have occurred at a time when Stewart was running Total Entertainment Group.
That company provided support for the Roundup festival at the Winfield Fairgrounds.
Stewart’s relationship with the Roundup ended abruptly in June 2008 when he was arrested and accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a men’s restroom in the grandstand area of the fairground. The assault is alleged to have occurred overnight during that year’s Roundup.
Festival officials asked that Stewart not be allowed to return to the fairground after he was released on bond in the assault case. He left Cowley County shortly thereafter and presumably has not returned.
It’s unclear whether prosecutors intend to pursue sexual assault charges against Stewart, now that they are sure of his whereabouts.