Bigfork woman denies two robbery charges
A Bigfork woman has pleaded not guilty to a pair of felony robbery charges after allegedly trying to rob a pair of local businesses.
Julie Ann Deshazer, 46, is accused of trying to steal a cart full of merchandise from the Kalispell Walgreens on Oct. 1, 2012, and trying to rob the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry in Evergreen on July 8 this year.
According to a court document, the Walgreens manager saw a woman with a full shopping cart walk out of the store without paying. When confronted, the woman claimed she had a receipt, but was unable to produce it and said she needed to go to her car and make a phone call.
Once in her car, the woman tried to back out, running into the manager, who stood behind the car to stop the woman from injuring any pedestrians. The manager then went to the front of the vehicle to prevent the woman from leaving.
The woman then reportedly said, “You better get out of the way,” and drove into the manager again before driving away.
Officers later located the car and identified the driver as Deshazer, who reportedly admitted her part in the incident.
At the food pantry on U.S. 2, an employee said she had been tending the register when a woman approached the counter with a jacket wrapped around her head and said, “Put your hands above the counter and empty the register — don’t make me use my gun.”
The woman then reportedly said “Empty the register, I have a gun and I will shoot you.”
At that point, the employee ran from the counter and warned the other employees and the owner, and the woman fled. The owner pursued the woman to the north side of Gold Rush Pawn and then through Kmart. An officer caught Deshazer and took her to the pantry, where the owner said Deshazer was the suspect.
The court document goes on to say that when Deshazer was being booked into jail, she grabbed a bottle of prescription pills from her belongings and tried to pour the whole bottle in her mouth. An officer estimated the bottle contained 100 or more pills.
The officer then allegedly struggled with Deshazer to keep her from eating more of the pills and said that when they were on the ground, Deshazer tried to lick the pills off the floor.
If convicted of both charges, Deshazer faces between two and 80 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. She is currently incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center, where her bond is set at $75,000.
Her next hearing is set for Aug. 28.
Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.