NewsCrime and Courts

Actions

Butte man admits to trio of robberies

Blackjack robbery
Posted at 11:23 AM, Jul 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-21 13:23:05-04

MISSOULA — A Butte man has admitted to robbing three Montana businesses at gunpoint, including a pizza shop in Missoula.

According to court records, 49-year-old Thomas Scott Cockrill started his robbery spree on Feb. 9 at BlackJack Pizza on Brooks Street, which is no longer in business.

Later that night, he robbed a hotel in Helena, and four days later, held up a Butte marijuana dispensary. Authorities say he got away with several hundred dollars in each robbery.

Cockrill pleaded guilty in a Missoula federal courtroom on Tuesday to each of the robberies as well as a firearms charges.

He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the robbery crime and a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison on the firearms crime.