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Former Idaho GOP Chair Jonathan Parker Gets Jail Time In Stalking Case

Idaho Republican Party/Ada County Sheriff's Office

Jonathan Parker, the former Idaho Republican Party Chairman, will be spending two weeks in jail after pleading guilty to stalking his ex-wife.

In May, Boise Police say they found Parker peering into windows at his then-estranged wife’s apartment complex. They say he was wearing a wig and masturbating, though Parker’s lawyer at the time called it a “grand misunderstanding.”

Since then, the former top GOP official has been in and out of jail on a string of charges. The saga spanned several months where Parker tallied up six charges, including two felonies: first-degree stalking and witness intimidation.

At one point, a judge revoked his bond in the stalking case after police say he texted his estranged wife, Kelly Parker, which would’ve violated a no-contact order.

Parker plead guilty in October to first-degree stalking and unlawful entry.

Judge Patrick Miller sentenced him Monday to 14 days in jail, five years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

The Idaho Statesman reports the judge also issued a five-year no-contact order between Parker, his ex-wife and another woman whose home he entered without her permission.

Parker could’ve faced up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for just the stalking charge.

He left his position as the Idaho Republican Party chairman in February after assuming the role in 2017.

In a letter explaining his departure, he wrote, “Serving as your Chairman, while maintaining a full-time job and being a fully engaged Father has been harder than I imagined, so much so that I have reluctantly decided that I should no longer continue to serve as Chairman of the Idaho Republican Party so that I can focus on the priorities I place above all others.”

Parker’s divorce was finalized last week.

Follow James Dawson on Twitter @RadioDawson for more local news.

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I cover politics and a bit of everything else for Boise State Public Radio. Outside of public meetings, you can find me fly fishing, making cool things out of leather or watching the Seattle Mariners' latest rebuilding season.

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