Pointing laser at aircraft sends Kalispell man to prison

MISSOULA — A Kalispell man who admitted to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft was sentenced today to two and one-half years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Nolan Wayne Hamman, 32, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that on Nov. 25, 2023, a flight instructor operating a plane over Kalispell called 911 to report a person shining a laser pointer at her plane while she was flying with a minor student. Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded and located Hamman on the ground with the laser pointer. Hamman admitted to shining the laser at the plane while it was in flight. Further, Hamman engaged in this behavior over several months, and evidence demonstrated he pursued these planes because he believed they were tracking him. Hamman’s actions continually endangered multiple pilots, including two juveniles, and the safety of those on the ground in the Kalispell area.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force, Federal Aviation Administration, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Kalispell Police Department conducted the investigation.

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