June 9 – A Flathead County judge handed down three suspended sentences to a Kalispell man accused of harassing and threatening his ex-girlfriend.
Anthony Howard Trebas, 47, received a five-year suspended sentence in the State Corrections Department for criminal intimidation and two six-month suspended sentences in the county jail for two misdemeanor counts of violation of a protection order. Judge Amy Eddy handed down the sentences, which are to be consecutive, on May 23.
Trebas came to the attention of authorities after he allegedly made and sent a series of phone calls and text messages to his ex-partner in late August and early September 2022 despite a temporary protective order. Those messages included threats of suicide, murder-suicide and possibly triggering a deadly confrontation with law enforcement, according to court documents.
Although the posts were dropped after prosecutors charged Trebas with intimidation charges and the victim was granted a protective order against the 47-year-old, they started 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 criminal harassment. At this point, they had also requested that Trebas’s release from county jail be revoked.
According to documents filed in district court, Trebas pawned a KE Arms semi-automatic rifle on Dec. 23, 2022 despite being prohibited from owning firearms. On January 4, 2023, Trebas allegedly sought to retrieve the gun from the pawnshop. In doing so, he claimed he was not being indicted or whistleblowing for a crime or subject to a restraining order, according to court documents.
In early April, Trebas, who initially claimed his innocence, entered into a plea deal. In exchange for guilty pleas, prosecutors opted to drop the stalking charge and replace it with the misdemeanor counts of breach of a protective order.
He pleaded guilty on April 6.
Managing Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.