Napa Sheriff’s Deputy Secretly Recorded, Shared Nude Images Of Wife, Prosecutors Charge: Report

NAPA VALLEY, CA — A Napa County sheriff’s deputy is on paid administrative leave after prosecutors charged him with secretly recording and sharing nude images of his estranged wife, including at least one explicit photo that may have reached the phone of the couple’s 13-year-old daughter.

The deputy, 43-year-old James Robert Fotherby, pleaded not guilty in Napa County Superior Court on Dec. 3. He remains on paid leave as the sheriff’s office and prosecutors conduct separate investigations, according to the Napa Valley Register.

The allegations led to both a criminal case and an internal review within the sheriff’s office, according to reports, according to reports.

Fotherby joined the Napa County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 and worked as a courtroom bailiff.

Records show Fotherby filed for divorce in Aug. 2025.

According to reports, investigators said the conduct spanned months and was not an isolated incident. Authorities said Fotherby used a hidden camera as early as January 2022 to secretly record his estranged wife in a bathroom. He is also accused of later distributing intimate images without her consent.

Police say copies of the images were recovered from Fotherby’s phone during a search conducted under a warrant, as well as from the woman’s phone with her permission, according to The Press Democrat.

Fotherby faces misdemeanor charges of invasion of privacy and distribution of an intimate image to cause emotional distress, according to court records. He could face a maximum punishment of six months jail for each charge. Because the victim was his wife, prosecutors added a special allegation that would mean a minimum probation period of three years.

Prosecutors filed the complaint on Oct. 28.

The case remains active in Napa County Superior Court. A judge has issued a protective order requiring Fotherby to stay away from his estranged wife, their daughter, and the woman’s workplace, according to The Press Democrat.

The sheriff’s office has said, according to reports, they will complete an internal review before making any employment-related decisions.

Fotherby has been on paid administrative leave from the Sheriff’s Office for two months or more, Henry Wofford, the agency’s public information officer, told The Press Democrat. Any further investigation will be handled by the Napa Police Department, which has jurisdiction in the case, and by the District Attorney’s Office office.

“We’re aware of the situation,” Wofford told The Press Democrat. “We want to make sure that the person has the privacy they deserve, and make sure it’s a matter addressed in court rather than in public. It’s very important to get the factual information and to hear both sides before coming to any conclusion," he said, according to The Press Democrat