COEUR D’ALENE, ID – Robert William Peterson, 34, was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for making a threat to a public servant, the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reported. Parole eligibility was set for three years. District Judge Lamont Berecz also issued a five-year no-contact order prohibiting Peterson from contacting the judge.

The conviction stems from a threat Peterson made on August 24, 2023, to a First Judicial District Magistrate Judge. Upset over a court decision involving him, Peterson sent a letter to the Office of the Governor threatening the judge’s life, and later emailed the letter directly to the judge.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation located Peterson in the Tacoma, Washington area and assisted in his arrest.

Making a threat to a public servant is a felony in Idaho, punishable by up to five years in prison. Peterson’s adult criminal record includes convictions for reckless driving, concealed weapon violations, contempt of court, eluding officers, malicious injury to property, stalking, trespassing, telephone harassment, inattentive driving, and probation violations.

At sentencing, the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office recommended the maximum prison term of five years with parole eligibility after three years and a no-contact order.

Prosecuting Attorney Stanley T. Mortensen thanked Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Art Verharen for prosecuting the case, as well as the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and the FBI for their roles in the investigation.