UW Tacoma employee sentenced after domestic-violence order violation
A staff member from the University of Washington Tacoma pleaded guilty for violating a domestic violence no-contact order and negligent driving in Kittitas County, according to court records The News Tribune recently obtained through a public records request.
Kurt Dayan Hatch, 55, was initially charged with two counts of a protection-order violation, felony harassment, fourth-degree assault and driving under the influence. This was in response to an incident at the lodge in Suncadia where prosecutors say he threatened to kill his girlfriend and drove under the influence on May 12, according to charging documents.
Officers at the time noted Hatch may have violated a protection order issued by Tacoma Municipal Court as he was found with the woman in her car, according to court documents.
Deputies booked Hatch into the Kittitas County Jail after his arrest, and he had been released on a $50,000 bail.
Hatch pleaded guilty and was sentenced on July 31 to violation of a no-contact order and first-degree negligent driving, court records obtained by The News Tribune show. The court dismissed all of the other previously filed charges.
The News Tribune’s efforts to reach Hatch and his attorney for comment were not successful.
It doesn’t appear Hatch’s sentence required additional jail time, according to court documents. He received a sentence of 364 days with all but one day suspended for the no contact order violation, a sentence of 90 days with all but one day suspended for the negligent driving charge, and he was given credit for the day he already served in jail following his arrest, the court records show.
A suspended sentence means the person doesn’t have to serve the time, as long as they follow the court’s conditions and avoid further trouble with the law.
Hatch is on unsupervised probation for 18 months, he must obtain a substance use disorder evaluation, go to domestic-violence therapy, serve 40 hours of community service and pay a fine, documents show.
The News Tribune reached out to the Kittitas County Prosecutor’s Office and the prosecuting attorney on the case for clarification on Hatch’s sentence but did not immediately hear back.
Hatch was listed as the faculty director of the Educational Administration Program and a professor of practice at the university, according to the school’s website where his employee profile was shown, The News Tribune reported in May.
Asked about Hatch’s employment status at UWT, a spokesperson said Sept. 5 that in keeping with their privacy policy, the university could not comment on “personnel issues.”
“The safety of everyone in our campus community is our priority. We encourage students, faculty, and staff members who are in need of support to connect with our campus resources,” the university’s statement said. “Students can access confidential support through UW Tacoma’s Psychological & Wellness Services and the UW Office of the Title IX Coordinator. Faculty and staff can receive assistance through the Washington Employee Assistance Program (WA EAP). Anyone can contact SafeCampus to anonymously discuss concerns about safety and well-being, either for themselves or someone else,”
The university’s website shows Hatch still listed in the directory as a professor of practice for the School of Education.
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