Getaway Driver in Wolf Point Casino Robbery Pleads Guilty

GREAT FALLS – A Wolf Point man who drove the getaway car in a Fort Peck casino robbery pleaded guilty today.  Patrick Beauchamp, 35, was charged with aiding abetting robbery after he planned the robbery with others and served as the getaway driver.  He faces up to twenty years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years supervised release.  Sentencing is set for July 27, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Brian Morris.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Weiss told the court that on June 12, 2013, Beauchamp and three others drove around Wolf Point and discussed robbing a casino.  Beauchamp was driving, and two others got out and went into the Northern Lights casino with weapons and their faces covered.  One of the robbers hit a casino employee over the head with an axe handle while the other held customers at bay with a bat.  The first robber stole money from the casino and the two ran out to the waiting vehicle driven by Beauchamp.  More than $1,340 was stolen from the casino.  The group was pulled over moments later.  Law enforcement found cash strewn throughout the vehicle, as well as the bat. The axe handle was found on the floor of the casino.

The case was investigated by Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice Criminal Investigations and the Wolf Point Police Department.