Judge suspends sentence in police assault case

A Kalispell man convicted of assaulting a police officer received a 10-year suspended sentence to the Montana State Prison following a video presentation in Flathead District Court showing the incident.

On the night of Dec. 17, 2015, Stanley Arthur Hanson, 55, was shown in the video armed and intoxicated while refusing to comply with orders from a Kalispell Police officer to disarm and keep his hands visible.

In the video, Hanson is heard telling the officer he was armed and “pissed,” ordering the officer off the property. Hanson demanded the officer “straighten [expletive] out,” stating his gun was “Three-tenths of a second from going off.”

The officer could be heard repeatedly trying to deescalate the situation, even when Hanson kept moving his hands behind him toward the gun in his waistband.

Hanson testified that he had gone to the property he owned in Columbia Falls where his two sons and grandchildren lived after one of his sons allegedly turned the power off and refused to turn it back on.

Having had three 16-ounce beers prior to the event, Hanson was admittedly drunk, telling the officer in the video, “I drove 15 miles in a situation where I am too [expletive] drunk to drive, and I’m not admitting that to no one.”

When a second officer arrived on scene, he was able to get close enough to Hanson to take him down using a stun gun, disarm him and take him into custody.

According to court documents, Hanson’s son stated Hanson had been waving the gun around prior to the arrival of law enforcement while children were on the premises.

Upon closer investigation, officers found the gun to be loaded with a round in the chamber.

District Attorney Travis Ahner asked Hanson if he had control issues, to which Hanson replied, “I do need to be in control.”

In his own defense, Hanson stated he had sold all his guns soon after the incident and had not touched alcohol since that night. He admitted to having issues with anger, which he believed were made worse by alcohol. He said he had started seeing a local pastor for counseling.

Pastor Michael Marrs of Easthaven Baptist Church confirmed that he had been counseling Hanson, whom he said was taking their sessions seriously and had expressed deep remorse.

“My actions were wrong,” Hanson said. “I believe the best apology anyone can make is a changed life.”

Hanson’s grandson also read a letter in defense of his grandfather. In that letter, he stated that his grandfather took care of his entire family.

“My grandfather is my everything. He made me the man I am today,” he said. “I look in my grandfather’s eyes, and I don’t see a criminal. I see a hero.”

Several other members of Hanson’s family were also present in the courtroom.

In addition to the 10-year suspended sentence, Judge Robert Allison ordered Hanson to pay restitution and to attend 40 hours of power and control counseling.

Allison went on to say if he had been in the officer’s place, either he or Hanson would have been shot.

“If [the officer] had shot you, no jury in this state would award your family a cent,” Allison told Hanson. “In fact, they might have pinned a medal on him.”

Allison told Hanson he did not want him to possess a firearm ever again and told him not to even think about consuming one beer or one puff of marijuana.

“You don’t want to come back,” Allison said, “because if you do, I will send you to Montana State Prison.”

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.