CRIME BLOTTER

UW Tacoma faculty director charged in domestic abuse, DUI case

May 29, 2025, 12:37 PM | Updated: 12:37 pm

UW Tacoma professor...

A UW Tacoma professor has been charged in a domestic abuse case. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

A University of Washington (UW) Tacoma director has been charged with several crimes regarding alleged domestic abuse.

Kurt Dayan Hatch, 55, allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend and drove under the influence, The News Tribune reported Thursday.

Hatch is the faculty director of the Educational Administration Program and Professor of Practice, as stated on the UW Tacoma’s website.

He was charged with two counts of a protection-order violation, felony harassment, fourth-degree assault, and DUI, according to the media outlet, citing court records.

UW Tacoma professor arrested after girlfriend called 911

Hatch was arrested on May 12 in Suncadia. Deputies were sent to the Prospector Inn after a woman called 911, yelling, “Quit hurting me,” The Tacoma News Tribune stated. When deputies arrived, the woman told them everything was fine and she was looking for her dog, however, Cle Elum officers learned the woman had a protection order against Hatch.

Hatch, according to the media outlet, is also accused of assaulting his girlfriend in November 2024, allegedly throwing her phone out a window when she tried to call 911.

The Tacoma News Tribune stated Hatch was booked into the Kittitas County Jail. He was arraigned and released on $50,000 bail.

UW Tacoma sent the media outlet a statement, linking mental health services and information for the Title IX coordinator’s office, along with the Washington Employee Assistance Program’s website and SafeCampus.

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UW Tacoma faculty director charged in domestic abuse, DUI case