Kalispell man sentenced in intimidation case
Anthony Howard Trebas. (Photo courtesy the Flathead County Sheriff's Office)
A Flathead County judge has handed down a trio of suspended sentences to a Kalispell man accused of harassing and threatening his ex-girlfriend.
Anthony Howard Trebas, 47, earned a suspended five-year sentence to the state Department of Corrections for felony intimidation and a pair of suspended six-month stints in the county jail for two counts of misdemeanor violation of an order of protection. Judge Amy Eddy handed down the sentences, which are to run consecutively, on May 23.
Trebas came to the attention of authorities after allegedly making and sending a slew of phone calls and text messages to his ex-partner in late August and early September 2022 despite a temporary order of protection. Those messages included threats of suicide, murder-suicide and possibly sparking a deadly standoff with law enforcement, court documents said.
Although the messages dropped off after prosecutors brought Trebas up on the intimidation charge and the victim secured a protective order against the 47-year-old, they began again in November, according to court documents. Between November and December 2022, the victim allegedly received Facebook messages, text messages, emails and phone calls from Trebas.
In February, prosecutors amended the charges, adding one count of felony stalking. By that point, they also had sought the revocation of Trebas’ release from county jail.
According to documents filed in district court, Trebas pawned a KE Arms semi automatic rifle on Dec. 23, 2022 despite being barred from possessing firearms. On Jan. 4, 2023 Trebas allegedly sought to recover the weapon from the pawnshop. In doing so, he claimed he was neither under indictment or information for a felony nor subject to a restraining order, court documents said.
In early April, Trebas, who had initially maintained his innocence, took a plea deal. In exchange for guilty pleas, prosecutors opted to drop the felony stalking charge and replace it with the misdemeanor counts of violating an order of protection.
He entered guilty pleas on April 6.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.