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Man pleads in weapons case

by KEITH KINNAIRD
News editor | May 4, 2017 1:00 AM

SANDPOINT — A Elmira man who has been living in Bonner County under an assumed name for nearly two decades is pleading guilty to unlawful possession of firearms, according to U.S. District Court records.

Counsel for Eric Lavon Corbett filed notice last month that his client intends to plead guilty to the felony offense. A change of plea hearing was set for Tuesday in Coeur d’Alene, although the outcome of the hearing was not posted to the federal courts database on Wednesday. A sentencing hearing is pending.

Corbett, 45, is being held at the Bonner County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office website.

A federal grand jury indicted Corbett last year of unlawfully possessing three hunting rifles and a shotgun last December. Corbett is prohibited from possessing the firearms due to a witness tampering conviction in Florida that dates back to 1997.

Corbett came to Idaho in 2000 and had been living under the alias Jubal Burke, according to court records. He met Stacy White in 2012 and the two were married during a religious ceremony, although they are not legally wed under Idaho law, court records indicate.

White is regional supervisor for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, overseeing 10 counties and 60–70 employees in the Child Protective Services division.

Corbett was convicted of witness tampering after allegedly drawing a pistol on another man during a confrontation in northern Florida. Corbett argued he was acting in self-defense and was unaware that the man was an informant involved in a sweeping drug and police corruption probe.

Corbett, court records indicate, served a 41-month sentence and ended up losing his farm, life savings and his wife at the time. Corbett’s attorney federal Public Defender Colin Prince, said in court documents that his client fled Florida after learning that authorities planned to make sure that he was re-incarcerated after his release.

Corbett faces 15 to 21 months in prison when he is sentenced on the weapons possession charge.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.