This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Former Myton Police Chief Thomas Wade Butterfield has been ordered to stand trial on stalking and other charges related to two women.
At the conclusion of a preliminary hearing on Thursday, 8th District Judge Samuel Chiara ruled there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial on four charges — two counts of stalking, one count of criminal trespassing in a dwelling and one count of unlawful detention.
The judge dismissed a fifth charge, a stalking count after defense attorney Earl Xaiz argued the evidence was insufficient to support the charge that Butterfield was stalking the woman listed as the alleged victim.
The remaining stalking counts involve two other women.
The stalking and trespass charges are class A misdemeanors and the detention charge is a class B misdemeanor.
Following Chiara's ruling, Butterfield, 45, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the four charges. A jury trial is scheduled for Dec. 9 and 10.
Butterfield — who became the first chief in the small Duchesne County community's newly formed police department in July 2014 — was charged in September and fired in October during a meeting with Mayor Kathleen Cooper.
The alleged offenses occurred between June and September 2014.
The former chief has given up his police certification.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC