Ohio Man Faces Felony Charge for Threatening to Bomb Helena Airport

A Lima, Ohio man was charged Thursday with a felony for allegedly threatening to blow up the Helena Regional Airport after being kicked off a plane for being too intoxicated to fly.

Kareem Mashhaad Laws was charged in Lewis and Clark County Justice Court with one count of intimidation, a felony punishable by a fine not to exceed $50,000 and a term of imprisonment not to exceed 10 years if convicted.

According to charging documents, Helena police officers responded to the airport Wednesday and located Laws near the front doors, surrounded by airport staff. Laws had been able to board an airplane but was deemed too intoxicated to fly before takeoff and was removed from the plane.

One employee told officers that Laws had refused to leave after being told to do so many times. The airport employee told Officer Nick Leshinski they were helping Laws coordinate his next steps when he said, "Y'all better hope this place doesn't blow up." The employee said they just wanted Laws to leave until he sobered up, but after the threats were made they did not want him back at the airport at all.

A second employee reported an even more direct statement. According to charging documents, Laws told officers, "I'm gonna blow up the airport and that's a threat." He also insinuated that he hoped the plane he had been removed from would blow up.

The alleged threats did not stop at the airport. According to his arrest affidavit, Laws called someone on his Apple Watch while being transported to jail and made additional comments about blowing up the airport.

The intimidation charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine under Montana law. No charges related to actual explosives or devices were referenced in the charging documents, and no materials were reported to have been found.

All defendants are innocent until proven guilty.