Casino robbed at gunpoint

An armed robber got away with an undisclosed amount of money in a hold-up at First Avenue West Casino on Wednesday night.

Kalispell police got a call from a waiter at 11:16 p.m. reporting the robbery. First Avenue West Casino is at the rear of the North Bay Grille building at 139 First Ave. W.

A clerk there said a man approached her with a stainless steel revolver and demanded money. She set the cash drawer on the counter and he took the money, then questioned whether there was a safe as well.

He asked if she was lying when she replied there was no safe, then, apparently satisfied she was being truthful, left through the alley entrance and probably escaped on foot.

Detective Tim Faulkner said the gunman more than likely had entered from the restaurant doors on First Avenue West.

The clerk described the robber as a 20- to 25-year-old white man about 6 feet tall, clean shaven, with light-colored hair and blue eyes, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and a tan or gray baseball cap. Faulkner said he appeared to be of average build.

The detective said that the suspect's revolver may have been chrome or stainless steel and was not fired during the robbery.

Police are checking into an anonymous tip they received and are investigating a couple of possible suspects.

This is the first time the First Avenue West Casino has been robbed or burglarized, he said.

Police do not believe Wednesday's crime is related to a robbery at Gresko's Bakery on East Idaho in April, based on descriptions of the suspects.

But police are investigating possible connections between this and a pair of robberies over the winter at two Evergreen casinos. Flathead County sheriff's detectives are working on those cases.

Anybody with information on this crime or the suspect's identity is urged to contact Faulkner of the Kalispell Police Department at 758-7780 or 758-7791.

Information also can be called in to CrimeStoppers at 752-8477 (752-TIPS).