7th local casino robbed

The Daily Inter Lake

Investigators are searching for a suspect in the Monday night robbery of a downtown Kalispell casino.

Monday's incident is the seventh robbery or attempted robbery at Kalispell-area casinos since late August.

Officers responded to reports of an armed robbery at the Loose Change Casino on North Main Street about 11:40 p.m. Monday, according to the Kalispell Police Department.

Witnesses told police that the suspect entered the casino, brandished a gun and then demanded money from one of the employees while holding the weapon to her head. When confronted by a customer, the suspect threatened to shoot both the customer and the employee, according to Kalispell Police Detective Kevin McCarvel.

The suspect reportedly continued to hold one of the employees at gunpoint while directing another employee and the customer into another part of the casino. The suspect also ordered the employee being held at gunpoint into another area of the casino before fleeing.

The suspect, who has not been identified, remained in the casino for a brief time before escaping with an undisclosed amount of money taken from both an employee and the business's till.

Anyone with information about the robbery or identity of the suspect is encouraged to call the Kalispell Police Department at (406) 758-7780 or CrimeStoppers at (406) 752-TIPS.

In earlier casino crimes, suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with armed robberies or attempted robberies at the Best Bet Casino in Kalispell on Aug. 28, Nickel Charlie's Casino on Aug. 29, Lucky Lil's Casino near Wal-Mart on Sept. 24, and Gold Dust Casino on U.S. 2 West on Oct. 26.

Investigators still are searching for the man or men responsible for the Sept. 15 armed robbery of Windiggers Casino and the Oct. 15 armed robbery of the Players Club Casino.

At both Windiggers and Players Club, a masked man waited until all the customers had left before robbing employees at gunpoint and locking them in the restrooms.