This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Salt Lake-area criminal defense attorney charged with stalking his female paralegal and firing shots at her Cottonwood Heights condominium last year waived his right on Thursday to a preliminary hearing.
Harold W. Stone III, 33, is charged with one count of second-degree felony stalking with a dangerous weapon, four counts of third-degree felony discharge of a firearm and one count of third-degree felony obstructing justice.
Following his waiver, Stone entered not guilty pleas to all counts. Stone's attorney, Greg Skordas, declined to comment about the case.
A scheduling hearing is set for Jan. 31 before 3rd District Judge Robin Reese.
On June 2, windows were shot out at a condo rented by the 29-year-old woman, who worked for Stone at the Midvale law firm Stone & Law. No one was home at the time.
Soon after, the woman was telling co-workers about the shooting when Stone, her boss, admitted to firing the shots, according to charging documents.
While reporting Stone's comment to police, the woman also reported that Stone had been stalking her — both before and after the shooting — via phone calls and text messages, charges state.
The woman claimed that before the shooting, Stone had contacted her multiple times while intoxicated to express "romantic feeling for her" and make "sexual remarks to her," charges state.
Following the shooting, Stone continued contacting her and on one occasion suggested they should obtain "couple's counseling," even though the woman was not in a relationship with Stone, charges state.
While investigating the shooting, police found several bullet slugs embedded in the walls of the woman's condo, including some in the bedroom of her child, charges state.
Police say they have obtained text messages of Stone admitting to the condo shooting. Stone also admitted he returned to the scene to retrieve shell casings, charges state.
Charges were filed on July 16, but Cottonwood Heights police were unable to locate Stone until he surrendered two weeks later to Bountiful police. He was booked into the Davis County jail and released after posting $150,000 bail.
In 1997 and 1998, when Stone was 20, he was charged with several criminal cases in Roosevelt's 8th District Court. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, unlawful purchase of alcohol, retail theft and disorderly conduct.
A graduate of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, Calif., Stone has been a member of the Utah Bar since 2004.