Gaming Robberies in Montana Lead to Apprehension of Suspect

Posted on: May 17, 2022, 09:29h. 

Last updated on: May 18, 2022, 11:28h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A man has been arrested in Billings, Mont. in connection with two recent armed holdups at local gambling venues. He is facing robbery charges, police told local media today (May 17).

A police car parked in front of Maverick Casino in Billings, Mont.
A police car parked in front of Maverick Casino in Billings, Mont., pictured above. The gaming venue was robbed earlier this month and a suspect was recently arrested. (Image: Billings Gazette)

The suspect is identified as Mason Prudhomme, 31, KTVQ, a local TV station reported. He is from Montana.

One of the robberies took place on May 8 at the Maverick Casino. The bandit gave an employee a note saying he had a gun and demanded cash.

The worker handed over an unspecified amount of cash. The robber then fled.

It appeared no weapon was ever displayed. No one was injured. The suspect was wearing a mask and a black hoodie.

Then, on May 11, a robber threated to attack an employee with a baseball bat at the Holiday convenience store, which is also a gaming venue, KTVQ said. He also demanded cash. Initial news reports said he fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

Further details on the holdups were not immediately available.

Prior Montana Robbery

In an unrelated incident, two Montana women were arrested for an armed robbery on March 20 at Magic Diamond Casino in Billings.  One then fired a gun into the air, and they led cops on a high-speed chase on the streets of Billings, authorities said.

The women stole several bottles of whiskey from the small gaming venue and adjacent liquor store, authorities add. One allegedly pulled out the firearm and pointed it at two casino workers. Police did not say if the pair stole money or the amount, if any.

The duo was later arrested. They were identified as Taliah Jeneane Ramirez, 22, of Billings, and Makyla Shayd Fetter, 27, of Harlem.

The charges include robbery affecting interstate commerce, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm in a school zone, according to the Montana US Attorney’s Office.

Decapitation of Casino Winner

Also, in still another unrelated crime last June, a Montana man who allegedly decapitated a winning casino player in 2017 was sentenced to 65 years in prison for deliberate homicide.

Donald Ray Cherry, 34, was given the prison term for the killing of Myron Wesley Knight.

A second defendant, Jeffery Glen Haverty, 37, was sentenced in 2020 to 50 years in prison for the robbery and killing. The bandits met Knight at Montana’s Lil’s Casino.

The duo later allegedly murdered Knight with a hatchet. They decapitated him while they were at a campsite near the casino, authorities said.

Knight’s headless body later was found on a dirt trail near the transient camp. After the decapitation, Cherry allegedly hid Knight’s remains. His head was found 30 feet away. It was wrapped in a towel under a pile of leaves.

A medical examiner said that Knight was probably still alive when they started cutting his head off. Cherry later admitted in court he and Haverty robbed and killed Knight.

The men were regulars at the casino. They knew each other before the fatal incident.

Knight had won $120 at the casino the day of the robbery. But he soon gave the money to a gaming property employee for safekeeping. Knight only had $6 when he was killed by the duo, authorities said.