FORT DODGE – A Webster City man used a machete to threaten a convenience store clerk during a robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in prison – but he says it’s all the fault of he drugs.
On November 18, 2016, Christopher David Peter appeared in Webster County District Court and pled guilty to Robbery in the Second Degree. Peter, 21, admitted that on October 27, 2016, he went to the Duncombe Gas & Grocery store located at 418 Main Street in Duncombe, Iowa, and demanded money from the clerk. Peter stated that he used a machete and threatened to kill the clerk if she didn’t give him money. The clerk complied and gave Peter between $700 and $800, who took the money and left the store.
District Court Judge Thomas Bice accepted the Defendant’s guilty plea to the charge of Robbery in the Second Degree, a class “C” felony, and then sentenced Peter to 10 years in prison, which is the maximum period of incarceration allowed by law. Because of the serious nature of the offense, Judge Bice also imposed a 70% mandatory minimum sentence, which means that Peter will not be eligible for parole until he serves at least 7 years in prison.
During the hearing, Peter apologized to the victim and stated that if he “wasn’t on drugs, it never would have happened.” Directly addressing the Defendant, Judge Bice acknowledged his statement and said that Peter needs to use his time in prison to get help for his substance abuse and other issues. He went on to state that “this kind of conduct leaves a lot of scars, and that the Court’s role is to protect our community from further offenses like this.”
At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Bice ordered that Peter remain in the custody of the Webster County Sheriff for transport to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center at Oakdale, Iowa, to serve his prison sentence.
The State of Iowa was represented by Webster County Attorney Jennifer Benson.
Multiple agencies assisted in the investigation of the offense, including the Duncombe Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Webster City Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Department of Public Safety, Iowa State Patrol, Dayton Police Department, Webster County Attorney’s Office, Duncombe Fire Department, Lehigh Fire Department, Harcourt Fire Department, Fort Dodge Fire Department, Moorland Fire Department and the Southwest Webster Ambulance Service.
