Arrestee Dale A. Paine and temporary defense attorney Joely O’Rourke talk in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 61-year-old man who has reportedly not stopped trying to talk with Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer since 2013 when he was prosecuted for a DUI was arrested and charged after crossing a line.
Dale A. Paine is the source of hundreds of threatening voice mails, faxes and telephone calls, a special appointed deputy prosecuting attorney told a judge yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court.
He even phoned the elected prosecutor at home, and once confronted him in an elevator, Thurston County Deputy Prosecutor Joseph Wheeler said.
This summer, Paine allegedly said something that alarmed Meyer:
“Paine told Meyer to ‘listen very carefully’ that he was going to ‘send Mr. Meyer to be with his family’,” Wheeler wrote in court documents.
About a month later, in one of approximately 50 messages received in just one week, Paine said he was coming to visit Meyer at the courthouse, according to Wheeler.
Paine, who is described by authorities as transient and recently living in Gainsville, Florida, showed up about 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center, and was taken in to custody, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Meyer told the investigating deputy he thinks the man has mental health issues.
When Paine was brought before a judge yesterday afternoon, he kept talking out of turn causing the judge to leave the bench while temporary defense attorney Joely O’Rourke spoke with him.
Wheeler asked the judge to hold Paine on $25,000 bail and ordered him to refrain from contacting Meyer.
Judge Nelson Hunt didn’t think that was enough, and made the amount $100,000.
“As far as I’m concerned, this is outrageous behavior,” Hunt said. “What I’ve witnessed today doesn’t help any.”
O’Rourke told the judge her client has absolutely no criminal history. He has a residence in Everett, she said.
According to charging documents, when Meyer reported to a deputy on June 30 what had been going on, he said sometimes the calls or contacts would come two to three times in a day, even at night. And they came from various locations where Paine was at the time, even possibly from as far away as New Mexico and Florida.
Meyer indicated he repeatedly told Paine to stop calling, Wheeler wrote.
The sheriff’s office yesterday morning described the case with victims being several elected and county officials.
Although Meyer told the deputy he was the victim of systematic and repeated felony harassment since 2013, Deputy Prosecutor Wheeler filed only two charges.
They are both harassment of a criminal justice participant performing official duties, on or around June 30 of this year and near the end of July.
Paine’s arraignment was scheduled for this afternoon, but was postponed.
Bo Rupert is a big behind the keyboard talker.. eating hot pockets in his mom’s basement and planning his future… LMAO!
So I am finally not alone in my hate for Johnathan Meyer. And yes it was cool to call for Mike Lowrey’s Public execution online! If given the chance I would do it again! Was it cool for Lowrey to attack my 14 year old nephew because he didn’t like me?
Bo’s got more guts than any of your over fluoridated family members, Bo’s a Hero that stands up to Tyrants and Mike Lowerey is a high ranking police criminal thug who definitely needs a body camera to record his lying ass. At a time when Government approval is at its lowest we need more people calling out the Tax Feeders who were placed in trusted official positions. People just don’t get it, they want to call you a Conspiracy theorist if you ask questions about Government Officials.
Just google bo name.
Who is Bo Rupert?
So because a person is a public employee, you have the right to harass them? Was it cool for Bo Rupert to call for Mike Lowrey’s execution online? Maybe you’d be happier in Dallas or Baton Rouge.
meyer looks like hes takin one for the team. hes been robbed now maliciously harassed. hell with eugene,… chehalis is about to become a protest town.
Calling the court house with burner phones and clog the system! this guy is a genius. lol the power of one!!
-harassment of a criminal justice participant performing official duties?
What about the right to a peaceful protest? I believe your rights to be harassed are waived when become a public official. People will not agree with you or your trickery and protest. AND ITS THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT!!
you are obligated to put up such harrassment; its part of the job. If you dont like it step down!!! The phones are there so the public can talk to you. You know you talk on the phone. DUH! They thought hiding in cubical and dressing up a couple times a week was all they had to do. lol
‘send Mr. Meyer to be with his family’ thats the most vague threat ive ever heard and is probably misquoted. but all 300lbs of meyer was frightened during his duties dealing with the people he prosecutes.
attributes we look for in public officials. Cowardice.
he possibly had a legitimate bone to pick being the lawyers they are refused to satisfactorily address him. As public servants that is their job. He might call you untill he gets an answer. Its called persistence. You should try it sometime. something you get when your entitled and you got daddys money to put you through law school right?
Even the prosacutor acknowledges that there might be a mental problem here. Yet since Western State and the Courts have failed the community, people with mental problems are housed in facility’s that are beyond the scope and care a criminal mental facility should provide. Housing the criminally insane inside common criminal facility’s is a crime of its own. Our jails and prisons are failing the mental health welfare of people who need such help. All the talk about helping with mental problems is just that talk