Whitefish woman sentenced for Glacier park thefts

A Whitefish woman was sentenced in Flathead County District Court Thursday for stealing wallets and credit cards at area bars and in Glacier National Park in 2015.

Carol Elizabeth Rockafellow, 49, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony common scheme deceptive practices and was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years, with recommendations for the Intensive Supervision Program concurrent to a 10-year sentence with five years suspended.

Rockafellow must also pay a $2,000 fine with $1,000 suspended; $436.56 in restitution; a public defender fee of $800; and a supervision fee to be determined by her probation officer.

Prosecutor Alison Howard noted that Rockafellow had an open case in justice court.

“Miss Rockafellow has an open misdemeanor bad check case in justice court,” Howard said. “I’m happy to dismiss that case so long as Miss Rockafellow agrees that restitution be incorporated into this sentence. That’s $42.20 to Whitefish Discount Pharmacy and $393.36 to Big Sky Antiques.”

Rockafellow expressed her “deep sorrow and remorse” to the court and victims.

District Judge Robert Allison told Rockafellow she “was on the ragged edge of going away for a real long time.”

“You’ve sort of demonstrated a pattern or a habit of ripping people off and we’re done with that,” Allison said, later adding, “Don’t blow this. If you were a cat you’ve used up eight of your lives as far as the system’s concerned.”

According to court documents, Rockafellow was using a credit card that had been stolen from Craggy Range Bar and Grill on Oct. 17, 2015, making $800 in unauthorized purchases at Target.

Two days later, two women reported their purses had been stolen from their vehicles in Glacier National Park. One of the women suffered a $1,100 loss when Rockafellow used two credit cards to make purchases. Rockafellow wrote a $1,500 check to Costco from the account of one of the theft victims.

Rockafellow was arrested on Nov. 3, 2015, in Orono, Minnesota, for theft. A Costco card and AAA card belonging to two of the victims in the Flathead Valley were found in her possession.

In November 2016, Rockafellow admitted to breaking conditions of her three-year deferred sentence for felony deceptive practices by traveling to Alabama and Minnesota without permission of her probation officer. While in Minnesota, Rockafellow was convicted of unlawful financial transactions.

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.