A string of armed robberies in Missoula, Helena, and Butte has come to an end, with a Butte man receiving a 13-year prison sentence for his role in the crimes.
Thomas Scott Cockrill, 50, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to three counts of robbery affecting commerce and to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
On February 9, 2021, Cockrill robbed Blackjack Pizza in Missoula and brandished a handgun at an employee. Later that same evening, he held up at gunpoint an employee of the La Quinta Inn in Helena. Four days later, on February 13, 2021, Cockrill robbed the Elevated Dispensary in Butte and brandished a handgun at an employee.
Each business lost several hundred dollars in the robberies. Cockrill admitted to law enforcement that he owned three firearms and robbed the three businesses.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force, Helena Police Department, Missoula Police Department, Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement and Montana Probation and Parole.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
The defendant will serve 13 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The total value of the stolen goods is several hundred dollars.
Related Federal Cases
- John Doe, Armed Robbery, Montana 1957 · Montana
- Thomas Earl Dempsey, Gunpoint Robbery and Carjacking, MT 2016 · Texas
- Antonio Francisco Gutierrez, Armed Casino Robbery, MT 2023 · Texas
- Thomas Edward Mancha, First-Degree Murder, MT 2017 · Montana
- Richard L. Gathercole, Bank Robbery, Carjacking, NE 2024 · Idaho
Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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