Nashotah man and QAnon follower sentenced to prison for attacking U.S. service members at Pewaukee Army Reserve Center
A 31-year-old man Nashotah man was sentenced to prison for attacking United States Servicemen on account of their status as servicemen.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, Ian Alan Olson will serve 14 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for directly firing a paintball gun at two servicemen.
The Nov. 8 sentencing comes after Olson pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the crime on Aug. 18.
Olson drove a car spray-painted with QAnon slogans to the Wisconsin Army Reserve Center in Pewaukee on March 15, according to federal court documents. Two U.S. Army servicemen, who were on active drill orders and dressed in Army uniforms, were standing in the parking lot of the reserve station when Olson arrived.
Olson got out of the vehicle and pointed a paintball gun at the servicemen and said, “This is for America!”
Olson, who was 15 yards away, fired the paintball gun directly at the servicemen. After two or three shots, the gun jammed, and Olson stated, “You’re lucky it jammed” to the servicemen.
The two servicemen tackled Olson and held him until local police arrived. None of the projectiles hit the servicemen. Both servicemen initially believed Olson was holding a real firearm, and they feared that Olson intended to shoot and kill them
In announcing Olson’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig noted the seriousness of Olson’s conduct and said it showed “disrespect for the country, for the rule of law, and for U.S. military service personnel.”
“Judge Ludwig commented that any feelings of anger or frustration that Olson had about world events did not justify his unprovoked attack on the servicemen,” the release stated.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Village of Pewaukee Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Proctor of the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division.
Olson was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of attempted battery and one count of disorderly conduct in Waukesha County Circuit Court in connection with the incident. His next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10.
Olson traveled to D.C.
Court documents show Olson traveled to Washington, D.C., in March, before the incident in Pewaukee, and was admitted to a hospital for psychological evaluation after he made concerning comments to the U.S. Capitol Police.
According to a report from the Capitol Police, on March 3 Olson approached a member of the National Guard in D.C. and said he was “’maybe going to do something crazy stupid tomorrow” and asked them not to shoot him.
Olson also said his actions would “be big” and that he was not afraid to die for his mission.
Court records show Olson was admitted to a hospital March 5 and stayed there for four days. He was diagnosed with a “brief psychotic disorder,” according to an arrest warrant.
Contact Evan Frank at (262) 361-9138 or evan.frank@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Evanfrank_LCP.
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