Taliah Jeneane Ramirez, Armed Robbery, Montana 2023

Two women accused of stealing liquor at gunpoint from a Billings Heights casino, firing a warning shot while fleeing and ultimately discarding two loaded firearms on elementary school property have admitted to robbery and firearms charges.

According to court documents, Taliah Jeneane Ramirez, 22, of Billings, and Makyla Shayd Fetter, 28, of Harlem, entered the Magic Diamond Casino in the Billings Heights on March 20. Fetter removed five bottles of Southern Comfort liquor from a shelf, while Ramirez pulled out a pistol and fired a round into the air.

The defendants then fled the scene in a Buick, leading the Billings Police Department on a high-speed chase through the streets of Billings. The vehicle eventually crashed through a fence at Ponderosa Elementary School, where officers found the car abandoned and multiple bottles of Southern Comfort on the front passenger floorboard.

During a search of the area, officers found Fetter attempting to hide in grass next to a fence. However, they did not find a firearm on her person. A loaded gun was later discovered in the middle of the playground, and the next day, a second firearm was found on the school grounds by a student.

Ramirez and Fetter each face a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the robbery crime. They also face a mandatory minimum of seven years to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release on the crime of possessing a firearm in a crime of violence. Additionally, they face a maximum of five years in prison, not to be run concurrent to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, on the crime of possession of a firearm in a school zone.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided over the plea hearing. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. initiative to reduce violent crime. The FBI, Billings Police Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/two-billings-women-admit-armed-robbery-billings-heights-casino-discarding-loaded-firearms