Officers interrupt possible robbery

A Columbia Falls man was arrested Saturday night for a possible casino robbery attempt in Evergreen that may have been interrupted by law enforcement officers.

On Saturday evening, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that Cameron Carr, 21, had said he was going to “rob a casino” that night, then leave the state.

At about 8:30 p.m., a Kalispell Police Department officer spotted Carr’s vehicle parked at the Shamrock Casino on U.S. 2 in Evergreen. The vehicle was unoccupied with its engine running and headlights on.

Police officers and sheriff’s deputies watched the vehicle and saw Carr leave the casino with a handkerchief over his face.

“The officers tried to talk to him, but he fled on foot and the officers had to chase him and tussle with him afterward,” Sheriff Chuck Curry said. “They deployed a Taser to take him into custody as well.”

According to dispatch records, a Kalispell Police officer observed Carr walk into the Casino at 8:25 p.m., and less than seven minutes later he was in custody.

It was determined that Carr had not robbed the casino.

However, because he concealed his face, fled on foot, his vehicle was left running and a handgun was observed in his vehicle, he was arrested and is being charged with attempted robbery.

“We feel we interrupted what was going to be a robbery attempt,” Curry said.

Carr already was being sought for questioning regarding other crimes that Curry declined to elaborate  on.

“I’d rather not get into that because we are still working on those property crimes at this point,” he said.

Curry praised Kalispell Police for their role in the arrest.“This case is a great example of how well local law enforcement agencies work together,” he said. “We worked in conjunction with Kalispell Police and they were the ones who actually found the car.”

Carr’s vehicle was impounded, pending a search warrant for the handgun and other evidence, and he was listed Monday afternoon on the county jail roster.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.