Viereck faces revocation of suspended sentence
A Libby man who pleaded guilty to stalking in 2019 could see his suspended four-year sentence revoked after allegedly getting into a vehicle wreck while intoxicated earlier this year.
Probation and parole officials are recommending that Robert Harold Viereck, 46, be committed to the state Department of Corrections for four years for violating the terms of his suspended sentence. They also want him to undergo a chemical dependency evaluation and, potentially, substance abuse treatment.
Investigators determined Viereck had a blood alcohol content of .150 following an April 27 vehicle wreck, according to court documents. He was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence, first offense, and felony criminal child endangerment for his role in the crash.
Appearing back in Lincoln County District Court on Sept. 27, Viereck refuted the allegations, setting the stage for an adjudication hearing in the coming weeks.
Viereck’s sentence has its roots in a series of text messages sent to a local woman in June 2019. The victim turned over the text messages, which she described as “harassing,” to law enforcement on June 24, according to an affidavit filed in district court.
One message obtained by investigators accused the victim of being “heartless and slutty” and repeatedly suggested the victim would soon face trouble. A friend of Viereck’s purportedly sent the message.
“I am not going to let you [expletive] up his life anymore,” it reads in part. “I’m back at my friends and I’m looking right at your trailer. You better send that little boy home and close your legs or I will help you. Do you want to meet?”
Authorities soon found more messages “of the same harassing nature,” wrote Deputy James Derryberry of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, in an affidavit at the time. They traced the number to a couple tied to a Dakota Avenue home. There they learned that the couple had since divorced and the former wife, who lived elsewhere in town, kept that phone number.
After tracking down the woman, investigators learned that she worked with Viereck and considered him a friend. When they looked at her mobile phone, they found copies of the harassing text messages.
The woman told authorities she did not know the victim, but had sent the messages at Viereck’s behest, according to the affidavit. He told her what to write and say in the messages, court documents said.
Authorities initially pursued a felony violation of a protective order, third offense, charge against Viereck. He eventually pleaded guilty to stalking by way of an Alford plea, meaning he acknowledged the evidence against him while maintaining innocence.
Under the terms of his suspended sentence, Viereck was barred from consuming drugs or alcohol and required to comply with all local, state and federal laws. He violated both during the alleged drunk driving incident, probation and parole officials said.