Ex-OSP spokesman pleads not guilty to harassment

Oregon State Police Captain William Fugate, the agency’s former public information officer, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of harassment and a judge set a trial for next May on the misdemeanor charges.

Fugate, 43, was charged last June with the two Class B misdemeanors, alleging that he subjected his wife to “offensive physical contact” in May and June of last year.

The couple, who live in Redmond, had been undergoing a divorce and his wife obtained a restraining order last fall, saying he threatened her, was “very volatile” and possessed a gun. The restraining order prohibited Fugate from possessing firearms or going within 500 feet of his wife.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office had conducted a two-month investigation of allegations involving Fugate, who was placed on paid administrative leave in late February, the day after a complaint was received.

Last week, Fugate’s defense attorney, Stephen Houze of Portland, filed a motion asking Circuit Judge Michael Adler to postpone Tuesday’s plea hearing in order to “continue ongoing negotiations” toward a possible plea deal. He said the DA’s office had agreed to the delay, but the victim’s attorney objected and Adler denied the motion.

Fugate is due back in court on Feb. 2. A three-day, six-person jury trial is scheduled for May 15 and a trial readiness hearing for May 9.