Meridian High School security officer pleads guilty to stalking woman
West Ada ID May 31 2022 A Meridian High School security officer who was charged with stalking after allegedly violating a restraining order from a woman multiple times has pleaded guilty, according to online court records.
Ryan Todd Anderson pleaded guilty to stalking in the second degree in exchange for the initial charge against him — felony stalking in the first degree — to be dropped. Anderson has been employed with the West Ada School District for over six years, a spokesperson for the department previously told the Idaho Statesman.
An individual may be charged with stalking in the first degree when the defendant violates a restraining order, is on probation or parole, has a criminal history, or possesses a deadly weapon, and when the victim is under 16 years old. A charge of stalking in the second degree occurs when a defendant “seriously alarms, annoys or harasses” the victim or if the defendant causes “fear of death or physical injury.”
Anderson, 30, was granted a withheld judgment, which means his case will be dismissed and the guilty plea withdrawn if Anderson completes his probation, Anderson’s attorney Timothy Fleming told the Statesman by email.
The advantage to a withheld judgment is that it allows an individual to say they’ve never been convicted of a crime, a common question on job applications, according to a local Boise law firm’s website.
As of Monday, Anderson is on unpaid administrative leave with the school district, spokesperson Greg Wilson told the Statesman by email.
In a five-day span, Anderson sent approximately 99 texts and nine emails to the woman, and made 226 phone calls to her, Nampa Police Detective Tim Onofrei wrote in court records, describing the messages as “vulgar, verbally abusive and physically threatening.” According to the records previously obtained by the Statesman, Anderson also threatened to “cut her brake line, resulting in a car wreck” with her children in the vehicle.
The woman told police Anderson also took nude photographs of her without her consent and threatened to send the photos to her children and friends, according to police records. He also made threats to kill himself, she told police. The Statesman is withholding the name of the woman due to the nature of the charge and concerns over her safety.
Fleming, an Emmett-based attorney, told the Statesman they are “very pleased” with the case’s resolution. He added that “everyone involved in the case” including the woman was able to participate in the mediation process. Fleming acknowledged the text messages Anderson sent were “inappropriate.”
“There was never a legitimate concern that Ryan (Anderson) posed any sort of danger or potential harm to anyone involved, and the outcome reflects that reality,” Fleming said.
Anderson was placed on supervised probation for two years, according to court documents obtained by the Statesman. 3rd District Judge Shane Darrington imposed a year jail sentence on Anderson but suspended 328 of the days, documents stated. Under Idaho law, stalking in the second degree is punishable by up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Anderson was given credit for four days of jail time from when he was arrested, and three days will be spent working for the Canyon County Sheriff’s Inmate Labor Detail, or SILD. The three days with SILD have to be complete by July 12, Canyon County spokesperson Joe Decker told the Statesman by email.
The remaining 30 days are available to Anderson’s probation officer to use at their discretion, according to court documents. He was also charged a $457.50 fine, which included court costs. Decker said the discretionary jail time can be used if Anderson violates the terms of his probation.
He said the days can also be spent working with SILD. “As a condition of supervised probation, (Anderson) shall continue his current treatment and education programs he is enrolled in and complete any additional programs as requested and directed by his probation officer,” according to the plea agreement.
Anderson is expected to enroll in a 52-week domestic violence treatment course, Decker told the Statesman. Another part of Anderson’s probation is that he has to maintain the no-contact order served to him on Jan. 21, according to court records.
He is prohibited from coming into contact with the 30-year-old woman until May 2024. Under Idaho law, a protection order prohibits the involved party from both physical contact and electronic communication. If a defendant breaks the terms of a no-contact order, they could be imprisoned for up to a year in county jail and/or fined up to $1,000.
idahostatesman.com
