Sex offender back in jail

A two-time convicted sex offender on "intensive" probation is back in jail after being accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman Sunday night on James Island, authorities said.

Jonathan Stankowitz, 34, of North Charleston was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail late Tuesday on a charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, court records show.

The victim told police she was with friends at a Circle K convenience store on Meeting Street when she was approached by Stankowitz, an acquaintance. The woman had been drinking, and Stankowitz, who drives for Coastal Towing, offered to tow her car and give her a ride home, according to a police report.

Stankowitz allegedly drove her to a Harbor View Road shopping center and sexually assaulted her before dropping the woman and her car at a friends' James Island home, police said.

Stankowitz, a registered sex offender in South Carolina, was convicted in 2002 of peeping through the windows of a 32-year-old woman's home on Sarah Street in Charleston, state records show. He was placed on three years probation.

In 2005, Charleston police charged him with committing a lewd act on a 13-year-old and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was convicted of both charges in 2007 and placed on five years probation, according to State Law Enforcement Division records.

Stankowitz was placed on the highest level of supervision, requiring weekly contact with his probation agent and frequent home visits, said Pete O'Boyle, director of public information for the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. His file noted no problems up until his arrest on Monday, he said.

The incident marks the second time in recent weeks that an offender on intensive community supervision has wound up in trouble with the law. Brandon Simmons, a convicted burglar on intensive parole, is accused of shooting Charleston County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffrey DeGrow after a Jan. 21 break-in on Grimball Road.

Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postandcourier.com.