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Convicted Kalispell man who threatened Sen. Tester gets sentenced

A Kalispell man convicted for threatening to kill Montana’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has been sentenced.

U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen sentenced Kevin Smith to two and half years in prison on Thursday.

Smith left threatening voicemails at Tester’s office saying that he wanted to kill the Senator. The FBI investigated and warned Smith to stop but he continued making threats.

Law enforcement found numerous firearms and an unregistered silencer in Smith’s home upon his arrest. Smith pleaded guilty to making the threats and admitted he made them because he was upset with Tester’s political decisions.

Aaron graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism in 2015 after interning at Minnesota Public Radio. He landed his first reporting gig in Wrangell, Alaska where he enjoyed the remote Alaskan lifestyle and eventually moved back to the road system as the KBBI News Director in Homer, Alaska. He joined the MTPR team in 2019. Aaron now reports on all things in northwest Montana and statewide health care.
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