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Flathead County Man Convicted of Sexual
Assault Charged with Intimidation
Dale Michael Hanson allegedly said he was going to kill judges, attorneys
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
A man convicted of sexually assault- ing a 5-year-old boy in the 1990s has been arrested after he allegedly sent a letter to law enforcement o cials threatening to kill judges and prosecutors in Flathead County.
Dale Michael Hanson served 10 years in prison after he was convicted in 1995 of sexual assault and deviant sexual con- duct, but maintained his innocence for more than two decades. Since his release in 2005, Hanson has refused to register as a sex o ender and has been wanted by law enforcement.
Last month, Hanson allegedly sent let- ters to the U.S. Marshals Service in Mis- soula and the Flathead County Sheri ’s O ce in Kalispell stating he was going to “start killing people to get public atten- tion” and “have my revenge” for his con- viction. Hanson’s letter listed multiple Flathead County employees, attorneys and judges as people he wanted killed.
Hanson has been charged with felony intimidation and failure to register as a sexual o ender. He is scheduled for an arraignment on Sept. 22.
According to court documents, Hanson forced his girlfriend’s young son to touch his penis and perform oral sex on him in 1991 and 1992. A jury found Hanson guilty
BRIEFS
Kalispell Women Admit to Locking Children in Basement Room
Two Kalispell women have admitted to regularly locking their adoptive chil- dren in a basement.
Amy Lynn Newman, 46, and Crystal Marie Mears, 37, each pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal endangerment on Sept. 7, nearly four months after they were charged in Flathead County District Court.
According to court documents, sta with the Department of Child and Fam- ily Services removed four children from a home in Kalispell in March. The chil- dren were removed from the home after sta members learned that Newman and Mears were allegedly locking some of the children in the basement on a reg- ular basis.
At the change of plea hearing on Sept. 7, Newman testi ed that only the two boys, ages 11 and 9, were regularly locked in their rooms in the basement to keep the rest of the family safe. Newman said the boys frequently tried to set res and one of them tried to choke their sister with cat litter.
In the agreement signed this month, Newman and Mears both pleaded guilty
in March 1995 and in July of that year he was sentenced to 20 years in the Montana State Prison with 10 years suspended.
Four years after his release in 2005, local law enforcement discovered that Hanson, who had moved back to Flathead County, had never registered as a sexual o ender. In September 2009, Deputy Flathead County Attorney Lori Adams led felony charges of failure to register as a sexual o ender against Hanson.
In 2015, Hanson led a petition for post-conviction relief with the Montana Supreme Court where he continued to insist that he was innocent. Hanson, who was represented by attorneys from the Montana Innocence Project, argued that prosecutors suppressed evidence that was favorable to Hanson during the 1995 trial. The motion also stated that the detective leading up the case against Hanson had interfered with witnesses who wanted to testify on Hanson’s behalf. The Montana Supreme Court was not convinced and dis- missed Hanson’s motion earlier this year.
In early August, the U.S. Marshals Ser- vice and the Flathead County Sheri ’s O ce received multiple threatening let- ters from Hanson stating he was inform- ing the agencies “that there are going to be a bunch of dead people if your agency does not intervene on my behalf,” charging records state. In the letter to the Marshals
to two counts of criminal endangerment. The third count of criminal endanger- ment was dropped. The women will be sentenced on Nov. 10.
Columbia Falls Woman Charged in Ponzi Scheme
A Columbia Falls woman has been accused of operating a Ponzi scheme that took more than $1.5 million from 28 dif- ferent investors.
Catherine Ann Finberg was charged on Aug. 31 in Flathead County District Court with theft by embezzlement, fail- ure to register as a securities broker, dealer or salesperson, failure to register securities, operating a pyramid promo- tional scheme, and two counts of fraudu- lent securities practices, all felonies.
If convicted, Finberg could face up to 70 years in prison and more than $185,000 in nes.
The charges come three months after a Flathead County District Court judge issued an order freezing Finberg’s investment accounts after attorneys with the Montana Commissioner of Securi- ties and Insurance began investigating. Although Finberg had not been charged yet, the attorneys believed they had
Service, Hanson allegedly explained that he had been ghting the “Nazi bastards of Flathead County Montana” for 22 years for crimes he did not commit.
“There are going to be some dead peo- ple over this [expletive deleted] up mess if they are not held accountable!” Hanson allegedly wrote. “That you can take to the bank.”
Hanson also wrote that he would have “revenge” before listing 18 individuals who have lived in Flathead County in the past, including the victim in the 1995 case, according to records.
In the letter to the Marshals Service, Hanson said he would wait a few weeks for law enforcement to intervene on his behalf before “starting the chaos and mayhem to see justice done myself vigi- lante style,” records state.
Hanson wrote similar statements in the letter to Flathead County Sheri Chuck Curry.
“When they send their Nazi bootjack death squad after me, it will be to execute me,” Hanson allegedly wrote. “All I need is to see them and I’ll be pumping as much lead at them as I can before they kill me, and I will make them kill me!”
Hanson was arrested on Aug. 24. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison and thousands of dollars in nes.
jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
enough evidence of illegal activity and wanted to stop the woman before she harmed anyone else.
“Given Finberg’s recent and contin- ual activities involving these accounts, failure to freeze them could result in continuing, immediate, and irrepara- ble injury to the investors by depriving them of sources from which to recover their investment funds,” attorneys wrote in an a davit supporting the restraining order.
A Ponzi scheme involves a person pay- ing investors using money obtained from later investors, rather than from any pro ts earned.
According to court documents, between 2008 and 2016, Finberg, who has served as an assistant coach for the Columbia Falls High School girls basket- ball team, took at least $1.5 million from 28 di erent people, who expected her to invest the funds on their behalf. Accord- ing to charging documents, at least three of those investors were “vulnerable per- sons” because of their advanced age.
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Finberg is expected to make her ini- tial appearance on Sept. 29 before Judge
Amy Eddy.
news@ atheadbeacon.com
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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