Alleged Beer Thief at Montana Casino Jailed After Three Assaults

Posted on: October 19, 2022, 12:06h. 

Last updated on: October 19, 2022, 02:05h.

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

A suspect remains in custody this week following an attempted beer robbery at a Missoula, Mont. casino. Two female employees were punched and the suspect struggled with another man during the theft, police said.

Missoula County Detention Facility sign
Missoula County Detention Facility sign, pictured above. A suspect remains in custody in the jail after allegedly attempting to rob beer from a local casino. (Image: Missoula County)

Ryan Charlo, 38, is charged with attempted robbery. His bail was set at $75K during an October 11 appearance in Missoula Justice Court. He has yet to post bail and was being held on Wednesday at the Missoula County Detention Facility, according to Montana online jail records.

The incident took place on October 8 at a small gaming property on West Harrier Drive. The casino wasn’t identified in a report from KGVO, a local radio station.  

Charlo entered the casino and walked over to a refrigerated shelf where he picked up some beer. He then allegedly walked to the exit without paying.

One employee tried to stop him, but Charlo resisted, police said. A second worker tried to stop Charlo from fleeing and he allegedly struck her arm. The first employee tried to apprehend Charlo again when he allegedly punched her in the face.

A man outside the casino was able to tackle Charlo, KGVO reported. During the struggle, Charlo allegedly threatened to kill the good Samaritan. The unnamed man then let go, and Charlo fled to a nearby vehicle. None of the three people at the casino appeared seriously injured.

Charlo left the scene, but his vehicle was located later by police and he was apprehended.

Missoula is about 200 miles east of Spokane, Wash. It also is near Lolo National Forest.

Murder-Suicide in Anaconda

Recently, another violent incident took place in a Montana casino.

In an unrelated incident last week, a man shot and killed another man in Anaconda, Mont.’s Lucky Lil’s Casino. The shooter then went to the property’s parking lot, where he killed himself.

The victim was shot twice in the head, KXLF, a Butte, Mont. TV station reported. The shooter appears to have shot himself once.

The victim was identified as Keith Illston, 62, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Sheriff Bill Sather told MTN News, a regional news site. The shooter was Larry Blodnick, 65, Sather added.

The motive behind the shooting was unclear. It is likely autopsies will be performed on both men.

The crime scene is a smaller casino located some 24 miles west of Butte. Lucky Lil’s has multiple locations in Montana.