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Butte man admits to trio of robberies

Blackjack robbery
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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.