The owner of the Sterling Renaissance Festival has been charged with stalking nearly a decade after settling multiple sexual harassment lawsuits.
According to reporting by the The Citizen, Doug Waterbury of Oswego was charged with fourth-degree stalking following a Dec. 4 complaint from a woman who said he followed her in his vehicle.
Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request show the woman told police that Waterbury offered her a ride twice and then followed her to a store.
Waterbury was charged by the Oswego Police Department and issued a court summons for Jan. 20. That appearance was later rescheduled, according to court records.
Authorities say Waterbury appeared at the police department Jan. 28 for fingerprinting and was released. He last appeared in court Jan. 27, and his next court date is scheduled for March 3. A temporary order of protection has also been issued in the case.
The Citizen reports the behavior described in the recent complaint is similar to allegations made by several women who sued Waterbury in 2017 and 2018.
Those lawsuits, brought by six women in one case and an unspecified number in another, alleged that over several decades Waterbury subjected tenants to unwanted sexual contact in exchange for reduced rent and security deposits at properties he owned in Oswego County.
Waterbury later paid $850,000 to settle the cases. As part of the settlement agreements, he was barred from renting or managing properties, though court records show he was later arrested for violating those orders.
While primarily based in Oswego, Waterbury has owned the Sterling Renaissance Festival in northern Cayuga County since 2008. The Citizen reports he has also been fined multiple times in connection with health code violations at the festival site.
The stalking case remains pending.
