Man accused of leading smear campaign charged with stalking

A man accused of running a months-long campaign to publicly smear a Whitefish resident as a sexual abuser faces stalking charges in Flathead County District Court. 

Authorities are holding Daniel Edward Duffey, 39, in the county jail with bail set at $50,000 following his Feb. 3 arrest by Whitefish Police officers. He is expected to appear before Judge Dan Wilson on Feb. 22 for his arraignment on one felony count of stalking and one misdemeanor count of stalking. 

Duffey’s alleged involvement with his victim began at a November football game in Missoula, according to court documents. The victim told investigators Jan. 21 that the two got to talking about rugby and that he gave Duffey contact information for a local rugby group.

About a week later, according to court documents, Duffey got in touch with the victim to ask after the rugby contacts, which the victim provided. After another week, Duffey allegedly texted the victim, this time asking to hang out. The victim never replied, court documents said, and the next message from Duffey allegedly accused the victim of sexually assaulting him. 

Duffey later apologized and a cycle of allegations and apologies took hold, according to court documents. Eventually, Duffey told the victim “[Expletive] you, I’m gonna take this public, I’m going to ruin your life,” court documents alleged. 

From there, Duffey allegedly began texting the victim’s wife and sending Facebook messages to his mother and two sisters. The victim later learned that emails regarding Duffey’s accusations had gone to his local rugby team and the squad’s sponsor, a Flathead Valley business.

The victim spoke with authorities again on Jan. 22, alleging that his mother had received a letter from Duffey. In it, Duffey wrote that he will “use every tool at my disposal to make sure that [the victim] is exposed for who he really is,” according to court documents. 

Whitefish detectives learned Jan. 30 that anonymous emails regarding Duffey’s accusations had gone to the victim’s employer, court documents said. The victim’s fiancée told authorities that same day that Duffey had gotten hold of the couple’s wedding page, changed RSVP statuses and sent messages to guests, according to court documents. 

Flyers referencing Duffey’s accusations allegedly were distributed in a downtown Kalispell bar on Feb. 2. Authorities later learned that another load of flyers was dropped off at a lodge at Whitefish Mountain Resort, according to court documents. 

Whitefish Police got a crack in the case after neighbors of the victim reported flyers showing up in the neighborhood. Using surveillance footage, investigators identified Duffey as the individual passing out the materials, court documents said.

Officers learned Feb. 3 that a vehicle registered to Duffey was spotted near a Whitefish hotel. That same day, the victim’s fiancée allegedly received a text from an anonymous number threatening that “this goes on for years until I see [the victim] either behind bars or paying me so much money, you’ll never be able to do anything nice again,” according to court documents. 

Officers tracked Duffey down soon after and secured a search warrant for his vehicle, court documents said. Inside, they allegedly found 26 flyers festooned with Duffey’s accusations about the victim, a poster board with an image of the victim’s face and envelopes with letters postmarked for the victim’s employer and coworkers, his fiancée and fiancée’s mother. 

Investigators also allegedly pulled a gun from a backpack inside the vehicle. 

Felony stalking carries a maximum penalty of five years in Montana State Prison and a $10,000 fine. Misdemeanor stalking is punishable by up to one year in county jail and a fine of $1,000.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.