A 68-year-old Oak Harbor man is accused of stalking a 911 dispatcher and threatening to kill a law enforcement officer and his family, court documents indicate.

James M. McClure pleaded not guilty in Island County Superior Court Jan. 28 to telephone harassment and stalking. He’s being held in jail on $25,000 bail.

The police report written by Lt. Mike Hawley with the Island County Sheriff’s Office states that McClure called 911 a total of 25 times from Dec. 20 to Jan. 14. He rambled “about his Vietnam War activities, political problems of the day, his opinion about county employees and elected officials.”

The dispatchers listened politely, but often had to disconnect as other calls came in.

“As the evening continues, it appears McClure is consuming more and more alcohol as his rambling becomes more disjointed and profane,” Hawley wrote.

McClure became fixated on one particular dispatcher and started asking for her when calling in, the report states.

Near midnight on Dec. 28, McClure left a package at the entrance to the ICOM dispatch center. It was carefully opened and contained a book on poker and “several suggestive handwritten notes” addressed to the dispatcher.

On the night of Jan. 6, McClure started calling 911 ICOM every 15 to 20 minutes and “became more profane as the night wore on,” according to Hawley’s report.

Hawley called McClure and warned him that he was tying up the 911 emergency line and would get arrested if he continued. In response, McClure laughed, called Hawley a profane word and spoke about the sheriff in disrespectful terms, the report states.

McClure then promptly called 911 again and made a threat to shoot Hawley and his family with a .30-caliber weapon; McClure even described Hawley’s South Whidbey home, according to the police report.

If convicted of the charges, McClure could face up to a year in jail.