Arrests made in casino robbery case

Kalispell police have arrested two suspects in the armed robbery of a casino on West Idaho Street.

According to Kalispell police, two masked men entered the casino at about 2:15 a.m. on Jan. 10, and demanded money. One of the men allegedly brandished a handgun. The pair left on foot with an undetermined amount of cash and checks. The casino employee was not harmed.

Andrew Nelson, 22, of Kalispell, was arrested Jan. 11 for a probation violation, the Kalispell Police Department announced in a press release Thursday. An investigation by the Montana Probation and Parole Officers and an investigator from the Montana Gambling Control Division allegedly connected Nelson to the robbery. Nelson was served with a warrant for robbery and kidnapping while incarcerated for the probation violation. He is currently being held on $100,000 bond.

On Thursday, the Kalispell Police Department arrested 26-year-old Kalispell resident Mason Smith on a warrant for robbery and kidnapping relating to the Jan. 10 robbery. Smith was remanded to the Flathead County Detention Facility with a bond amount of $100,000. The kidnapping charge is related to the unlawful detention of the employee of the casino during the robbery, the press release states.

The investigation remains on-going and further arrests are expected.