Wallowa man pleaded guilty to interstate stalking in federal court

Published 5:00 pm Thursday, August 31, 2023

WALLOWA — A Wallowa man accused of harassing and intimidating his estranged spouse pleaded guilty to interstate stalking in Idaho, according to a press release from the District of Idaho U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Joel Waters, 44, of Wallowa, traveled from Oregon to Idaho between Oct. 7 and Dec. 24, 2020, in order to harass his spouse, according to court documents. The couple separated in September following an argument and the victim moved in with family in Boise.

Waters was served with a civil protection order in Wallowa County on Oct. 9, 2020, that was valid through Oct. 5, 2021, according to court documents. He was prohibited from having any contact with his spouse and was not allowed to come within 300 feet of the family’s home in Boise or their shared residence in Wallowa. Waters repeatedly violated the terms of the protection order.

Court documents state that for nearly three months, Waters stalked and intimidated his spouse. He took a dog from the family’s house and later took two dogs from his spouse’s vehicle. Waters also slashed tires on vehicles, placed a tracking device on a car, left belongings at the house in Boise and set fire to his spouse’s car while it was at a mechanic’s shop.

Twice during this time period Waters reportedly set fire to their shared residence in Wallowa. He started the first fire on Nov. 10, 2020, causing substantial damage to the house. Waters set the second fire on Dec. 22, 2020, which, according to Oregon public records, was the day Wallowa County Circuit Court entered the judgment in their divorce proceedings.

Waters is represented by Boise-based attorney Mike French. He is scheduled to appear before Chief U.S. District Judge David Nye for sentencing on Nov. 8, according to the press release. Waters faces a minimum of one year in federal prison with the possibility of up to five years imprisonment, three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine.