Two armed robberies investigated

A pair of armed robberies in the past few days have the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office looking to the public for help.

The first robbery was Saturday at the Lucky Logger Casino on U.S. 2 East when a casino runner was confronted while he was outside taking a smoke break.

A man in a black hoodie and blue jeans with a red scarf covering his face reportedly brandished a chrome .357-caliber handgun at the runner before fleeing on foot. Deputies followed the robber’s footprints through the snow to where they met the tracks of a vehicle that had left the scene.

Assistance was initially requested from Two Bear Air to help canvass the area, but the agency was advised to stand down before the helicopter took off after it was determined the man was gone.

The second robbery occurred Tuesday at the Woodland Qwik Stop.

There, a woman was confronted by a man wearing a black hoodie with a white bandana covering his face and brandished a .45-caliber handgun. The man got $200 in cash, put the handgun in his waistband and fled on foot in the direction of the Scoreboard Pub and Casino.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent with a dog responded to the call, but the man was gone.

Both robbers were described as being just over six feet tall and weighing approximately 220 pounds.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said it is possible that the crimes were related.

Anyone with any information on either crime is asked to call the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office at 758-5585 or Flathead Crimestoppers at 752-8477.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.