Man sent to prison for robbing woman at knifepoint

A Columbia Falls man is headed to prison for robbing a woman at knifepoint in the parking lot of Smith’s grocery store on March 28, 2014.

Flathead District Judge Heidi Ulbricht followed the recommendation of prosecutor Andrew Clegg on Thursday, and sentenced Justin Eugene Hetrick, 33, to 30 years in Montana State Prison, with 20 years suspended, for one count of felony robbery, one count of assault with a weapon, and one felony weapons enhancement.

“The court presided over the trial and heard the testimony from the witnesses and these charges weren’t trumped up,” Ulbricht said. “You had a knife. You caused bodily injury to (the victim) and you committed the act of robbery in Columbia Falls Montana in a grocery store parking lot.”

According to court documents, Hetrick walked up to a woman on March 28, 2014 in Smith’s grocery parking lot in Columbia Falls and tried to grab her purse.

When she told him to stop, Hetrick asked “I have a knife, do you want to get cut?”

Hetrick then took a knife, cut the purse strap and sliced the woman’s hand in the process before running away.

A bystander tried to assist and chase Hetrick down on a four-wheeler, but Hetrick then lunged at the man with a knife. The man fell from the four-wheeler as Hetrick fled on foot.

Hetrick was found in a home on Second Avenue West, but he did not let an officer into the home. Charges were filed more than a year later.

The woman who had her thumb sliced by Hetrick testified Thursday that she now carries pepper spray anytime she’s out alone at night, and she never shops alone at night.

“There’s not much that I do during a day that I do not think of what happened,” the victim testified.

The victim testified that she lost her husband many years ago, and that going through the robbery and legal process afterward has been more stressful than that loss.

“This two years and nine months has been more stressful than two years, nine months after the death of a husband,” she testified.

The victim is a teacher who said that she still hopes that Hetrick will make positive change in his life.

“When it’s over, one day at a time, finish what you need to do to continue with your life in a positive manner,” the victim testified.

Defense attorney Greg Rapkoch had asked for a lesser sentence of 12 years in Montana State Prison, with seven suspended. Rapkoch noted that Hetrick had a long history of untreated mental illness and chemical usage. He stated that while Hetrick’s offense might be severe, Hetrick does not have a long felony history.

Hetrick was ordered to pay restitution for the cost of the woman’s purse and the expenses for her visit to the emergency room.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.