Former Idaho state budget director charged with 3 child pornography counts

Editor’s note: Martin L. Peterson was a longtime community member of the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board. He was temporarily removed from the board when charges came to light, and he subsequently resigned from the board.

Martin L. “Marty” Peterson, 76, of Boise, a figure in Idaho politics for five decades, was arrested Thursday and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor made his initial court appearance Friday.

A press release Thursday from Attorney General Lawrence Wasden’s office said that Peterson is alleged to have possessed sexually exploitative material, and the official complaint states that he is charged with three felony counts of viewing/accessing sexually explicit images of minors, from Jan. 1, 2018, to Oct. 3, 2019.

The investigation was performed by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, the Boise Police Department and the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office.

Among other positions, Peterson served on U.S. Sen. Frank Church’s staff, on former Gov. Butch Otter’s transition team, as the executive director of the Association of Idaho Cities and on the Idaho Humanities Council, per his page on the Idaho Humanities Council website. He was also the budget director for former Govs. John Evans and Cecil Andrus, and has served as an assistant to several University of Idaho presidents.

Peterson, a Lewiston native and University of Idaho graduate, has served on U of I’s School of Journalism and Mass Media advisory board, the Friends of Idaho Public Television board and as the president for the Foundation for Idaho History. He also was the director of U of I’s James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research.

University of Idaho officials declined to comment about Peterson’s arrest but said he is currently still on the journalism school board.

Peterson, who has written many guest columns for the Statesman, co-authored “Idaho 100: The People Who Most Influenced the Gem State.” He has written other books and also graduated from Columbia Basin College and Harvard University’s Senior Managers in Government Program.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

This story was originally published October 3, 2019 at 2:18 PM.