Washington County Family Justice Center.JPG

When Tanya Richards was 4 years old, her mother was killed by her boyfriend in Alabama. Thinking of her mom, Richards joined the board of Washington County's Domestic Violence Resource Center and now is pushing to bring a family justice center to the community. The center would offer services to victims of domestic violence in one place. (Rebecca Woolington/The Oregonian)

(Rebecca Woolington/The Oregonian/OregonLive)

Tanya Curtis Richards

A domestic violence project director accused of harassing the president of the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce has resigned, officials said Thursday.

Tanya Curtis Richards, 58, had been leading the effort to open the Family Justice Center of Washington County, which would offer services and resources for victims of domestic violence in one location. She voluntarily stepped down as project director, said Hillsboro Police Chief Lee Dobrowolski, who serves as chairman of the center's board.

On Tuesday, Richards pleaded not guilty in Washington County Circuit Court to three counts of telephonic harassment, a misdemeanor, following a Feb. 4 arrest by Beaverton police.

In an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive, her attorney, Amy Velazquez, said Richards resigned Wednesday and provided this letter to the center's board:

"It is with a heavy heart that I have made the decision to resign as the Project Director for the Family Justice Center of Washington County. Although I deny and have entered not guilty pleas to the accusations made against, this project is so much more important than any individual and I fear that sensational media coverage could cause people to lose sight of the mission of the FJC. Therefore I am electing to remove myself from this position, as I do not want the project impacted by claims made against me. I wish the Board and the entire FJC team much success."

Richards had been pursuing a friendship with the Beaverton chamber leader, Lorraine Clarno, and contacted her repeatedly from April 2014 until Jan. 28 of this year, said Officer Mike Rowe, a Beaverton Police spokesman.

Clarno didn't want any contact with her, he said, and asked Beaverton Police Chief Geoff Spalding to tell Richards to stop. The chief did so in a meeting Nov. 25.

Later that same day, Richards contacted Clarno again, Rowe said. According to court records, the charges against Richards stem from the November contact she had with Clarno.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office investigated a similar case involving Richards and she was arrested in April 2011 on a stalking accusation, said Sgt. Bob Ray, an agency spokesman. Court records indicate she was never charged in that case.

In December 2014, Richards was featured by The Oregonian/OregonLive in a story about her push for the Family Justice Center and her personal connection to domestic violence work. Richards' mother was killed by her boyfriend when Richards was 4 years old.

Richards' position as Family Justice Center project director is paid through a $55,000 grant. She told The Oregonian last month that she hoped to open the center by the end of this year.

Dobrowolski said the center's board will move quickly to find an interim director to jump into pending projects, such as grant applications.

"We will figure out after we get the interim what the long term solution will be," Dobrowolski said.

-- Rebecca Woolington

503-294-4049; @rwoolington