Police chief accused of stalking makes 1st court appearance


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DUCHESNE — Myton Police Chief Thomas Wade Butterfield made his first appearance Monday in 8th District Court to face allegations that he stalked three women.

Butterfield, 44, is charged with three counts of stalking and one count of criminal trespass, all class A misdemeanors. Prosecutors have also charged him with unlawful detention, a class B misdemeanor.

Monday's hearing lasted just long enough for the judge to set a Dec. 8 preliminary hearing in the case and order Butterfield not to have any contact with the women he's accused of stalking.

Outside the courtroom, defense attorney Earl Xaiz declined to comment on the allegations against his client because Duchesne County sheriff's detectives are continuing to interview people in connection with the case.

Neither police nor prosecutors have been willing to discuss the stalking allegations against Butterfield in detail. When the charges were filed in mid-September, Duchesne County Attorney Stephen Foote would only say that "the pattern of activity extended to (the victims') homes."

Three women are identified as victims in the case, according to charging documents. Two of the them filed petitions for civil stalking injunctions. A judge denied one of those petitions at the end of an Oct. 14 hearing. A hearing on the second petition is set for Nov. 13.

Butterfield remains on paid administrative leave from his job with Myton's one-person police department. The department was organized July 1 to serve the city's 500 to 600 residents. Sgt. Tim Mellor, a part-time employee, has been appointed to serve as acting chief while Butterfield is on leave. There are no plans to disband the department, according to Myton Mayor Kathleen Cooper.

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Geoff Liesik

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