Convicted killer goes back to jail
Chad Rothacker was said to be doing well, rebuilding his life after a brief prison term for killing a man over a pool game in Whitefish in 1994.
Ultimately, however, violating his probation by possessing alcohol and drugs landed him back in court.
On Thursday, District Judge Kitty Curtis resentenced Rothacker, 31, to seven years, with two suspended.
Curtis sentenced Rothacker to the Department of Corrections. His sentence could be served at a facility outside the state prison in Deer Lodge.
He was first sentenced to prison on April 15, 1994, with 10 years of his 16-year sentence suspended on conditions that he remain law-abiding.
By July 10, 1995, he was released from prison.
He started a business in Big Sky, which he built up to a 30-employee venture over the years, according to court records. He built upscale homes, engaged in what his parole officer called a healthy lifestyle with good friends and stayed out of trouble.
The loaded .44-caliber Magnum revolver by his front door was the beginning of the end. In a routine probation and parole search, officers found the gun and another dozen weapons in Rothacker's house. Half belonged to a friend, he said.
Most of the rest were his father's or grandfather's and represented the hunting and sporting lifestyle he had led before his arrest, Rothacker said.
He was within a year or two of being able to legally own guns again when he was charged with the violations.
There was more. A wine rack and its contents were another violation of Rothacker's suspended sentence, which prohibits him from consuming alcohol.
On Nov. 15, 2004, County Attorney Ed Corrigan filed a motion to revoke Rothacker's suspended sentence.
Rothacker was 20 when he was convicted by a jury of killing Ron Raper, 31, behind the Palace Bar in Whitefish in December 1992.
According to testimony, the two men argued and Rothacker struck Raper, who fell backward, hitting his head on the ground. As Raper tried to get up, Rothacker kicked him in the head. Raper died two days later.
Curtis sentenced Rothacker to the Department of Corrections. His sentence could be served at a facility outside the state prison in Deer Lodge.
Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com