Probation officer gets deal on stalking charges

Criminal charges against a senior felony probation officer with the Idaho Department of Correction who is accused of stalking his estranged wife will be dismissed if he complies with conditions set by a Kootenai County magistrate.

David L. Williams, 41, remains on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an ongoing internal investigation, Jeff Ray, a spokesman for the corrections department, said Thursday.

Williams declined to comment on the case. The Coeur d’Alene man was placed on paid administrative leave following his March 3 arrest for second-degree stalking, a misdemeanor.

His wife of 15 years called 911 the morning of March 3 and said Williams stalked her throughout the night as she delivered newspapers for the Coeur d’Alene Press.

Tamara Dulhanty told police Williams showed up at her work intoxicated and went inside the building and began yelling. He followed her as she delivered papers and was driving erratically, Dulhanty told police.

She called 911 after Williams allegedly called her cell phone and threatened to “do something sick,” according to police reports. She told police she was concerned because Williams had firearms at home.

Police took Williams to Kootenai Medical Center and placed him on a mental hold, according to police reports. He was arrested following his release from the hospital.

In an agreement reached in court May 25, Coeur d’Alene City Attorney Anna Eckhart agreed to a conditional dismissal of the charges.

According to court minutes, Eckhart said she believed Dulhanty would support the agreement, which requires Williams to undergo unspecified treatment.

Williams also told Magistrate Barry Watson his wife supported the dismissal.

Watson said the dismissal of criminal charges will be final if Williams meets all terms of the agreement, including filing monthly progress reports showing he has attended treatment, over the next six months.

If he violates any law greater than a traffic citation in the next six months, prosecutors could re-file the criminal charges, according to the agreement.

Williams has been employed by the Department of Correction since 1991 and became a probation officer in 2002.

Senior probation officers supervise and counsel felons, carry firearms and have the power to conduct searches and make arrests, according to the Idaho Department of Correction.