Sometimes a charmed life has a limited run. That seems to be the case for the man who, as a child, was the voice of Charlie Brown on the Peanuts animated TV show and is now sentenced to nearly five years in prison for making various threats, reports The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Former Peanuts voice actor, Peter Robbins, previously pled guilty to charges of threatening a mobile home park manager. On Monday, he was in San Diego Superior Court for sentencing. Although his lawyer tried to withdraw the plea, he did not succeed and Robbins will have to serve a prison sentence of four years and eight months.
Threatening the Sheriff
Apart from threatening the mobile park manager, Robbins reportedly sent letters to members of the media, offering them money to have the local sheriff killed. He also allegedly threatened a San Diego judge. The latter charge was not resolved as part of the plea agreement.
History of Mental Illness
Presiding over the plea this week was a retired Los Angeles Superior Court judge. He was brought in because the San Diego judges recused themselves, although it is not clear if that is based on the as-yet-unresolved charges of threatening a judge or for some other reason.
Robbins has reportedly been disruptive throughout the proceedings. He has said he has bipolar disorder and suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. He similarly pled guilty to threatening a former girlfriend and her plastic surgeon in a case two years ago.
Criminal Procedure
Procedurally speaking, this week’s hearing was just about sentencing. Although Robbins’ attorney was attempting to withdraw the previously-entered plea, the defendant already pled guilty to the charges before and was just waiting for a sentence. As such, the victim’s family was present and testified about the impact of the threats on their lives, saying, “Let’s be clear, Peter Robbins has created more than just a little chaos.”
Robbins was represented by a public defender, who asked the court to withdraw the plea. Robbins himself reportedly interrupted, specifying that he only wanted to withdraw part of the plea. The request was denied and Robbins was sentenced to prison.
Related Resources:
- Facebook Threats Could Get You Arrested (FindLaw Blotter)
- Plea Bargains Pros and Cons (FindLaw)
- Plea Bargains and Judicial Economy (FindLaw)