The high-ranking Oregon State Police officer accused of domestic violence made his first court appearance in Bend on Wednesday surrounded by supporters.

William Arthur Fugate, formerly the top OSP spokesman, was scheduled to accept responsibility and be sentenced for charges he harassed his wife, who feared he would harm her with his state-issued weapon. Instead, he was arraigned and set a date with the court to enter his plea next month.

Fugate, a Redmond resident, declined to answer questions after the short hearing in the courtroom of Deschutes County Circuit Judge Ray Crutchley.

“No thank you. No comment,” Fugate said leaving the courthouse flanked by supporters, many of whom were recognized as local OSP personnel.

Fugate’s wife, Georgina Monrean-Fugate, filed for divorce in January, though the couple’s dissolution has not been finalized.

Fugate was ordered to only contact her and their children in a manner consistent with the Family Abuse Prevention Act order he signed earlier this year.

“You will abide by those conditions until this matter is through. Is that understood?” Crutchley asked Fugate.

“Absolutely,” said Fugate, who is represented by Bend attorney L. Todd Wilson.

Fugate was charged in June with two counts of harassment for incidents alleged to have happened in May and June of last year. District Attorney John Hummel’s office reviewed five other domestic violence allegations by Monrean-Fugate from 2007 to 2016, but no charges were filed because of Oregon’s statute of limitations, Hummel said at the time.

Fugate worked for OSP for 11 years. At the time of his arrest, he was chief spokesman for the agency.

His wife sought a restraining order Feb. 28, saying she feared he would shoot her.

That same day, he was placed on unpaid administrative leave and asked to surrender his weapon. As of Wednesday, he remained under internal investigation. “There’s a lot that goes into these (investigations),” said Capt. Tim Fox, an OSP spokesman.

He and his wife were married in 1997. The couple have two children.

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com