MISSOULA — A Kalispell man who admitted to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft was sentenced on Thursday to 2½ years in prison, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced
32-year-old Nolan Wayne Hamman will also have to serve three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in October 2024 to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.
The government alleged in court documents that 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 on Nov. 25, 2023.
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.
According to prosecutors, Hamman engaged in similar behavior over several months, and evidence showed he pursued the 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," a news release states.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided over the sentencing.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and investigated by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force, Federal Aviation Administration, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Kalispell Police Department.
