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Peterson goes from D.A. to U.S. Attorney

By: dmc-admin//July 5, 2006//

Peterson goes from D.A. to U.S. Attorney

By: dmc-admin//July 5, 2006//

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ImageTenacious prosecutor, avid Harley rider, ambitious administrator and accomplished drummer with an affinity for rural towns and comedy films.

Erik C. Peterson is only one man, but seemingly leads the life of several and after spending only a short time with the new U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, he left no doubt as to which he prefers most.

“I love the law and take a lot of pride in what I do,” said Peterson who was sworn in as the district’s 43rd U.S. Attorney on June 6 and replaced Stephen Sinnott.

Sinnott served as interim U.S. Attorney following the resignation of J.B. Van Hollen last year, who left to seek election as state attorney general.

Peterson, 36, applied for the position, followed by a lengthy review process and was endorsed along with two other candidates by U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl and U.S. Rep. James Sensen-brenner. He was nominated by Presi-dent Bush on April 24 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in May.

Now less than three weeks on the job, Peterson admitted the last few months have been a rewarding whirlwind.

“It’s been a wonderful experience and everyone has been extremely helpful,” said Peterson. “I’m unpacked for the most part, although I know there are boxes still sitting in the Iowa County D.A.’s office waiting to be moved out.”

Understandable aftermath considering Peterson spent seven years as the county’s district attorney after spending the three years prior as an assistant district attorney in Richland County.

During his tenure, Peterson cited his prosecution in the week-long trial of Greg Tallard as one of his most complex and detailed cases. Tallard was ultimately convicted for the murder of Robert Delahanty and is serving a life sentence.

“It was a nightmare of a case,” said Ronald G. Benavides, Tallard’s defense attorney. “It was a month of preparation prior to the trial and I thought Erik was extremely organized considering the massive amount of materials involved. In the courtroom, he was a professional.”

Memories and boxed documents weren’t the only things left behind according to Iowa County Circuit Judge William D. Dyke, who presided over Peterson’s cases on an almost daily basis since 1999.

“He is going to be greatly missed,” Dyke said. “I’ve seen him in trial and I’ve seen the results. His departure was a bit unforeseen, but he knows the law and I’m sure he’ll quickly establish his credibility and be an asset in Madison.”

The state capital has not yet become Peterson’s personal home as he still commutes from Iowa County, a possible indication of his intentions to stay in touch with legal concerns in all 44 counties included in the Western District.

“Having been a small, rural county’s district attorney, both as an assistant and elected, I think it’s important to help those areas deal with problems of a federal interest,” said Peterson. “We’re not trying to take DA’s jobs, they are doing great, but designating federal resources where they can help.”

Peterson specifically noted the budding methamphetamine problem in the northwestern part of the state, along with patrolling the entire district for terrorist threats, violent crimes, gang activity, child pornography and corruption.

Continuing the established program Project Safe Neighborhood, which thrives on grant money provided to districts for illegal firearm crime prevention, is another of Peterson’s priorities.

“There has been a lot of success in Rock and Dane counties with the program which is designed for specific areas,” said Peterson. “The bottom line is I want the message to be loud and clear from this office; you use a firearm illegally, you will do hard time.”

From hard time to spare time, Peterson fills his with needed diversions, highlighted by his participation in a rock cover band called Alibi.

A casual drummer since eighth grade, Peterson put his musical chops to use and teamed with Brad Schimel, assistant district attorney in Waukesha County, Randy Schneider, assistant district attorney in Racine County, and lead singer Heather Zander, a community development director for the city of Brillion.

The quartet formed a few years ago after meeting at a district attorneys conference and generally limits their public performances to benefits and law enforcement events.

“We don’t do the bar circuit, that’s not really our style,” joked Peterson. “It’s just a hobby, but we have a lot of fun with it.”

Peterson also enjoys touring the Wisconsin roads on his Harley-Davidson and unwinding with a comedy feature, which is no surprise considering his jovial demeanor.

“I have an incredibly serious job which deals with serious issues, so when I get the chance I like to relax and enjoy myself,” said Peterson. “Of course that’s not the case in the courtroom; you wouldn’t want to run into me there.”

Jack Zemlicka can be reached by email.

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