Ferndale attorney’s alleged harassment case moved to lower court

A felony charge against a Bellingham attorney and former public defense lawyer for the city of Ferndale accused of making harassing comments and threatening the life of Ferndale’s prosecuting attorney has been dismissed, according to records filed Wednesday in Whatcom County Superior Court.

The felony harassment charge against Daniel Thomas Parsons, 52, was dismissed July 25 after the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s office decided to pursue the case in District Court rather than in Superior Court, according to court records.

Parsons now faces a misdemeanor charge of harassment in District Court. A jury trial has been tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. on Aug. 29.

On Jan. 22, city of Ferndale prosecuting attorney David Nelson, along with a witness, contacted police about alleged threats made toward Nelson by Parsons, records show.

Both Parsons and Nelson have worked together for many years as attorneys in Whatcom County. Nelson told investigators his relationship with Parsons had been adversarial for years, but had got worse over the past six months. At the time, Parsons had recently lost the defense contract for the city of Ferndale.

Nelson said he felt the comments Parsons was making were personal, including an accusation that Nelson was taking food from the mouths of Parsons’ children, the records state.

The witness who went with Nelson to the police told investigators that the day before, on Jan. 21, Parsons sent Nelson a series of text messages that included a picture of a rifle with the caption “Now Dave can pretend to be scared,” another picture of a club wrapped in a chain and a text that said “Quick or slow death based on his begging,” the records show.

Parsons was arrested outside his apartment on Jan. 23. Officers found a Glock pistol with a loaded magazine, a Ruger pistol with a loaded magazine and a Smith and Wesson AR-15 rifle and two boxes of ammunition. They also found a receipt that showed Parsons bought the rifle the same day he sent the messages to the witness, records state.

Parsons had also allegedly left voicemails in September 2017 for Nelson accusing him of “ratting Parsons out” to jail staff when he accidentally brought a pocket knife with him, and that Nelson was plotting his next move against Parsons with another attorney, according to court records. Parsons called Nelson a coward and said he would “come back after him,” records state.

Several other witnesses told police they thought Parsons’ mental health seemed to be deteriorating and he was fixated on Nelson, records state. Others expressed concerns about possible suicidal gestures and statements Parsons had made referencing his life insurance policy, records show.