Former Idaho state senator John McGee will spend the next 44 days in jail. McGee was sentenced Tuesday for misdemeanor disturbing the peace. That charge stems from sexual harassment allegations made by a senate staffer in February.
A 4th District Magistrate gave McGee what amounts to 44 days in jail followed by 44 days of supervised community service and a strict two year probation. Both attorneys in the case had agreed to recommend only five days in jail. But Deputy Ada County Prosecutor Jean Fisher says she was not surprised at the tougher ruling because the judge was the same judge for McGee’s 2011 DUI conviction.
“I think because he had that specialized knowledge and he was able to look through his notes which he clearly was doing,” she says. “He saw it from a bigger picture that we were not a part of.”
The judge did lecture McGee extensively citing promises McGee had made at the time of his earlier conviction. But the judge said his sentence came because McGee had abused his position as a senator and victimized a person over whom he had power. McGee entered a guilty plea and told the judge he accepted responsibility for his actions, although his lawyer said he denied some of the sexual harassment allegations.