A 31-year-old that prosecutors allege punched a Kalispell Police officer in the face in March 2024 received a partially suspended sentence to the Montana State Prison later that same year.  

Flathead County District Judge Dan Wilson handed down a six-year sentence with three years suspended to Matthew Timothy Kuehnel, 31, on July 18, 2024. Wilson also gave Kuehnel credit for 121 of time served.

Kuehnel initially pleaded not guilty but struck a deal with prosecutors on June 6, 2024. In exchange for a guilty plea to one count of felony assault on a peace officer, prosecutors agreed to recommend the partially suspended sentence and drop a misdemeanor count of assault.  

Authorities in Kalispell began searching for Kuehnel on March 21, 2024, after he punched a Washington Street resident in the face for no apparent reason, court documents said. Officers found a man matching the description of the pugilist inside an East Idaho Street fast food resident, later identifying him as Kuehnel.  

When officers told Kuehnel he was under arrest, he swung his right fist over his left shoulder. The blow struck the cheek of an officer, court documents said.  

Tackled after throwing the punch, Kuehnel allegedly continued to struggle until officers deployed a Taser.  

The injured officer reported feeling pain from the blow and said it left him with "momentary disorientation," according to court documents. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].