Man convicted of intimidation, failure to register as a sex offender
A three-day trial ended April 26 with the conviction of a man accused of intimidation and failure to register as a sex offender.
The guilty verdict of Dale Hanson, 65, came just one hour after closing statements by prosecuting attorney Andrew Clegg and defense attorney Sean Hinchey in Flathead District Court.
Hanson was arrested for intimidation and failure to register as a sex offender after he sent a letter to the U.S. Marshals Service threatening the lives of numerous law enforcement officers if their agency refused to help “clear his name.”
Hanson was convicted of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old boy in 1995, but has maintained his innocence for two decades and appealed his case numerous times.
Court records from Hanson’s 1995 trial state that Hanson was found guilty of forcing the child to touch him and perform oral sex on him.
According to court documents, Hanson’s letter began by stating he was “writing this to inform — forewarn you that there are going to be a bunch of dead people if your agency does not intervene on my behalf!!”
In the letter, Hanson lists numerous Flathead County employees by name, referring to them as “thugs and thieves” and concludes with Hanson stating “I will have my revenge.”
Hinchey chalked the language up to “tough talk,” stating Hanson acted out of frustration and never intended to follow through on his threats.
Two of Hanson’s friends testified on his behalf, stating he would never hurt anyone and was simply desperate for help.
The prosecution argued that the authorities took the threats in Hanson’s letter seriously and had no way of determining whether he ever intended to act upon them or not.
The 12-person jury delivered their verdict at around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon following three days of testimony and evidence.
Hanson is scheduled for sentencing in July and could face up to 10 years in prison for each count.
Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.