COEUR d’ALENE — An Elmira man who has been quietly living in Bonner County under an assumed identity for the past 17 years was remanded Tuesday to the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service to answer to a charge of unlawfully possessing firearms.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Bush ordered Eric Lavon Corbett detained partly because of his longstanding effort to evade authorities by living under the alias Jubal Burke, according to U.S. District Court records. Corbett’s prior criminal history — a witness tampering charge — also factored into Corbett’s pretrial detention.

Corbett’s attorney, federal Public Defender Colin Prince, argued that Corbett has extensive ties to the community and lacked the resources or the desire to flee from prosecution, court records show.

Corbett, a farmer and wood craftsman, was indicted last December for possessing a shotgun and three hunting rifles. Corbett is barred from possessing firearms because of the witness tampering conviction in Florida.

The witness tampering charge dates back to 1996, when Corbett was involved in a confrontation with a well-known drug addict and petty thief, court records state. During the confrontation, two of the man’s associates approached in a menacing manner, prompting Corbett to draw a permitted concealed weapon and back out of the bar.

Federal prosecutors disputed that it was a case of self-defense and charged Corbett with witness tampering because the thief was an informant and his companions were undercover police officers involved in an expansive drug investigation that consisted of more than two dozen defendants and went on to expose police corruption, court records said. Corbett was also charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Prosecutors were unable to secure a conviction on the drug charge, although Corbett was convicted of witness tampering despite professing his innocence, court records indicate.

The fallout from his prosecution and conviction was pronounced.

“After serving 41 months, losing his farm, his life’s savings, and his wife, Mr. Corbett was released. But local police officers threatened to find a reason — any reason — to re-incarcerate him. So, he fled,” Prince said in a motion requesting that he be released to the custody of his wife, Stacy White, a regional supervisor with the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare.

Prince said Corbett didn’t flee the Southeast to avoid supervision from probation. Corbett fled because he feared persecution from officers and was not allowed to shift his parole out of Florida, where he had no ties or family, Prince said in court documents.

Corbett changed his name and relocated to Idaho in 2000. He met his future wife in 2012. The two were joined in a religious ceremony on the farm, although they are not legally wed under Idaho law, court records indicate.

White was unaware of Corbett’s past life, Prince said in court documents.

By all accounts, Corbett has lived modestly and developed lasting bonds with his church, fellow parishioners and neighbors, In addition to farming, Corbett is described as a skilled woodworker who contributes to his family’s income through handyman jobs. He also keeps a tithing folder to ensure there is no lapse in contributions to his church, court records indicate.

Corbett, 45, was sentenced last year to time served for evading supervision in Florida, court records indicate.

At the time, scores of friends and neighbors wrote letters to the court describing Corbett as unfailingly honest and remarkably selfless.

“We need more people on this planet like Eric Corbett. Then the world would be a better place,” friend Holly Foderaro wrote.

Foderaro and her mother, Laurie Cook, testified on Corbett’s behalf on Tuesday, court records show.

Corbett is being held at the Bonner County Jail. He faces 15 to 21 months in prison if convicted of the weapons possession charge.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.