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DUCHESNE — The former police chief for the city of Myton has been bound over to stand trial on five misdemeanor charges that stem from his alleged stalking of three women.
Thomas Wade 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.
On Monday, Butterfield conditionally waived his right to a preliminary hearing. The conditional waiver allows Butterfield to change his mind and ask for a preliminary hearing after he has had a better opportunity to review the state's evidence against him, according to defense attorney Earl Xaiz.
"We clearly don't have a resolution (in this case)," Xaiz said, adding that he is still waiting for Duchesne County prosecutors to turn over additional information and evidence through the discovery process.
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 date for a hearing on the second petition has not been set.
The Duchesne County case is not the first time Butterfield has been accused of inappropriate conduct involving women, according to court records, as well as interviews with former employers and with a woman who says Butterfield victimized her.
In 2000, Butterfield was charged in 4th District Court with criminal trespass after a former girlfriend told Orem police that Butterfield had entered her home without permission. The charge was originally filed as a class B misdemeanor but, as part of a plea deal, was amended to an infraction and Butterfield pleaded no contest, according to court records.
Butterfield was a Lehi police officer at the time. The Peace Officer Standards and Training Council unanimously voted to suspend his law enforcement certification for a year, adjusting his suspension to begin in November 1999.
When the suspension ended, Butterfield returned to law enforcement, working over the next 14 years for the Spring City and Roosevelt police departments, and the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office.
Butterfield resigned from the sheriff's office in December 2010 while he was the subject of an internal investigation into alleged misconduct involving a woman, according to Sheriff-elect David Boren. Roosevelt Police Chief Rick Harrison said he fired Butterfield in April 2013 due to allegations of inappropriate behavior made by two women.
In July, Butterfield was hired by Myton to run its newly organized police department. He was placed on administrative leave when the criminal charges were filed in September and ultimately fired on Oct. 31.
"This has been traumatic for him," Xaiz said. "It's been tough for him."
Butterfield is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 23.
