A 49-year-old Morton man faces felony charges after he allegedly threatened to accuse a woman of assault if she reported his protection order violations.
According to law enforcement, William R. McPherson violated the order by texting the woman across multiple days from two different phone numbers.
McPherson was arrested on Dec. 2 and booked into the Lewis County Jail at about 6:35 p.m. He’s been charged with one count of witness tampering, one count of second-degree extortion and three counts of violating a protection order constituting domestic violence.
Both the witness tampering and extortion charges are considered Class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines. The protection order violations are considered gross misdemeanors.
McPherson made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Dec. 3.
During the hearing, Judge Paul Strophy set McPherson’s bail at $10,000 cash or bond, saying his “biggest concern” was that McPherson would interfere with the administration of justice.
Strophy noted McPherson’s past conviction for witness tampering back in 1997 which, despite its age, was similar to the current allegations.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, McPherson has had 21 past warrants issued for his arrest, with limited felony convictions that go back to the 1990s.
Court records indicate the protection order was issued on behalf of the woman on Oct. 27, 2025, and is effective for one year from the issue date.
Law enforcement reportedly met with the woman last month to review the text messages allegedly sent by McPherson.
The messages, which were “mainly apologetic,” according to the affidavit, allegedly said, “If I go to jail because you turn me in right now I go in for 3 days and then when I get out I file the charges and you go to jail for assault.”
The woman reportedly told law enforcement she had not assaulted McPherson.
In the text messages, McPherson also allegedly told the woman “she could lose her job if he made the allegation,” according to the affidavit.
The messages reportedly continued over multiple days.
When contacted by law enforcement, McPherson allegedly admitted to sending the messages, but “stated he felt it was unfair that (she) could message him, but he could not message her,” the affidavit stated.
McPherson was scheduled to appear for an arraignment on Dec. 4, with Jacob Clark assigned to represent him.
