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Getaway driver pleads guilty in casino robberySep 04, 2009 (The Montana Standard - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A 30-year-old Butte man confessed Thursday to being the getaway driver in a holdup at a casino in March. Robert L. Warren Jr., 30, entered a plea of guilty in Butte district court to felony robbery by accountability. Warren drove two men to the Happy Endings Casino, 3878 Paxson Ave., next to Wal-Mart just after midnight on March 18. His passengers, one of them armed with a shotgun, went into the casino and robbed it of an unspecified amount of money. Ricky L. Berkopec, 31, of Butte, also was arrested in connection with this robbery. He pleaded guilty July 30 to a felony count of robbery, and is awaiting sentencing. He remains jailed on $100,000 bond. A third suspect, Charles A. Mancillas, 47, remains at large. During Thursday's hearing, Judge Kurt Krueger ordered a pre- sentence investigation, and Warren will be sentenced at a later date. Warren was arrested on March 27 after a traffic stop in Butte. Berkopec turned himself over to police April 2. An employee of the casino told investigators that a masked man armed with a shotgun entered the front door, "racked the gun," pointed it at him and demanded money, court documents state. A second masked man entered the casino from a rear door and also demanded money. The employee said he gave the robbers an unspecified amount of cash from the apron he was wearing and the robbers left. One customer was in the casino at the time. No one was injured. -- John Grant Emeigh, The Montana Standard To see more of The Montana Standard, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mtstandard.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Montana Standard, Butte Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |