Bozeman man sentenced, fined $2,500 for assault onboard airplane

MISSOULA — A Bozeman man who admitted assaulting a woman passenger while on a flight from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Bozeman was sentenced today to two years of probation and fined $2,500, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Hunter Andrew Dietrich, 33, pleaded guilty in March to assault onboard an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, a misdemeanor.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The court also ordered $1,704 restitution to the airline.

In court documents, the government alleged that on Feb. 11, 2023, SkyWest Flight 3789 operating as Delta Connections traveled from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Bozeman. During the flight, Dietrich, a passenger, was disruptive, assaulted numerous individuals and disobeyed repeated instructions from the flight crew to behave. The investigation found that Dietrich kissed a flight attendant on the head while touching her buttocks, and, while sitting next to a female passenger, he put his hands between her legs and his arm around her shoulder after being told not to. Dietrich continued this behavior while the plane was on approach, and he appeared to be intoxicated.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Bozeman Airport Police conducted the investigation.

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