Former Red Wing teacher already facing criminal sexual assualt charges, now faces telephone harassment charges

A former Red Wing High School teacher who faces criminal sexual conduct charges for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student is now facing telephone harassment charges in Wisconsin.

Durk Lee Stark, 42, is charged with two counts of misdemeanor telephone harassment after he allegedly threatened to kill two Pepin County, Wis., men.

According to a complaint filed in Pepin County on April 25, Stark threatened to kill Stephen Gale Orrin Potter, 32, and his father, Robert M. Potter, 68.

The Potters own hunting land called Potter's Swamp, the complaint says, and Stark had been storing several hunting targets that belonged to Potter's Swamp.

Stephen Potter and two other hunters went to Stark's Village of Pepin residence to retrieve the targets April 9. They were confronted by Stark's daughter and his wife, Karna Baseman, who were upset with the hunters being at the residence, the complaint says. Potter and the two other men retrieved the targets and left the property.

Later that day, Stephen Potter received text messages and a voicemail from Stark, the complaint says. In the voicemail, Stark allegedly threatened to kill Potter's father and possibly Potter himself.

The complaint later states that Stark made another phone call to Donald P. Milliren, 73, in which Stark again threatened the lives of the Potters.

According to the complaint, Stark, who is living in Minnesota, told Milliren that if the Potters didn't leave his family alone, he would, "personally come back to Wisconsin and kill (the Potters)."

Each of the harassment charges carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine or 90 days in prison.

Stark faces two counts of criminal sexual conduct in Goodhue County for allegedly having sexual intercourse multiple times from November 2009 to June 2010 with a female student who was 17 years old at the time.

Stark began working as a special education teacher at Red Wing High School in August 2009. He was placed on mandatory leave in October 2010 after the school became aware of the criminal sexual conduct allegations. He voluntary resigned this past April.

The new charges appear to be unrelated to the criminal sexual conduct charges. However, in the complaint, Robert Potter said that he was "very upset" by the criminal sexual conduct charges and he had cut ties with Stark.

The complaint also states that some of the incidents related to Stark's sexual conduct charges may have occurred on Potter's property, though Potter said he was unaware of any such alleged incidents until the charges were made public.

Stark will make his first appearance in Pepin County Court June 7.

His first appearance in Goodhue County Court is June 3.

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