Adams County Prosecuting Attorney
Peter Donovan, who was sworn in as the Adams County Prosecutor on January 13th, comes from a family of attorneys. His grandfather served as a Judge Advocate General in the Marine Corps before becoming a deputy prosecutor in San Diego County and later Ada County. His father is currently an Idaho State Deputy Attorney General.
Donovan graduated from Florida Southern College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 2018. He attended Stetson University College of Law and after graduating, became a deputy prosecutor for Ada County, a position he held for a little over a year, and then worked as a deputy prosecutor for Canyon County for a little over two years.
When asked why he chose to pursue a law degree he said, “I had great role models to follow in my father and grandfather. I like to read, and I like to argue, so it was a good fit for me.”
He was born and raised in Boise and during high school, he was part of a HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) debate team, which ended up going to the state competition, where they debated bio-medical issues. (At that time, Donovan thought he may want to become a doctor.)
He was also a Boy Scout and an Eagle Scout and so spent a lot of time camping, hiking, and doing volunteer work in both Adams and Valley Counties.
He said he had always hoped to be a prosecutor in a rural area because he enjoys the outdoors. “There aren’t many opportunities to be a prosecutor in rural Idaho, so when this job opened up, I jumped at the chance,” he said.
Because the county currently has a contract with the City of New Meadows to manage their misdemeanor prosecutions, he will continue in that role. He also looks forward to the variety of work as a prosecutor in Adams County.
“I will be advising the county commissioners and other elected officials and appreciate the variety of the work I will do as county prosecutor,” he said.
The county commissioners appointed Donovan as county prosecutor, to fill a vacancy in the position pursuant to Idaho Code Section 59-907 and he will serve for a period up to the remaining four years of the current term before running for election.
Donovan, his wife Kara, and their five-month-old son Jack are currently renting a place in McCall from Kara’s parents, but they hope to find a place in Adams County soon.
Former Adams County Prosecutor Chris Boyd ran for and was elected Canyon County Prosecutor.
