BOISE, Idaho — A former Idaho State Budget Director has been arrested for alleged sexual exploitation of a minor.
Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's office released information about the arrest, saying investigators with his Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit arrested 76-year-old Martin L. Peterson Thursday. Officials say he is alleged to have possessed sexually exploitative material.
Peterson began his career as a staffer for U.S. Senator Frank Church (D-Idaho) and served as the budget director for Democratic governors Cecil D. Andrus and John Evans. He also served on the transition team for Republican governor Butch Otter. In a bio on the University of Idaho website, it says Peterson "is a former executive director of the Association of Idaho Cities and directed the planning and administration of Idaho’s state centennial celebration in 1990. He served as Special Assistant for Governmental Relations for seven presidents of the University of Idaho. Marty also was interim director of the McClure Center for Public Policy Research."
Authorities encourage anyone with information regarding the exploitation of children to contact local police, the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit at 208-947-8700, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.
