Man who assaulted woman on flight gets probation, fine

The 33-year-old Bozeman man who pleaded guilty to assaulting a female passenger while on a flight from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Bozeman, has been sentenced to probation and fined.

The man, Hunter Andrew Dietrich, had pleaded guilty in March to assault onboard an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, a misdemeanor. During a Feb. 11, 2023, flight, Dietrich was disruptive, assaulted numerous individuals and disobeyed repeated instructions from the flight crew to behave, according to the statement.

“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,” reads a statement from the Montana U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Dietrich continued this behavior while the plane was on approach, and he appeared to be intoxicated.”

On July 10, U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen ordered Dietrich to serve two years of probation and pay a fine of $2,500 and restitution of $1,704. The restitution will go to the airline, according to the statement.

The case was prosecuted based on an investigation by the FBI and Bozeman Airport Police.