suspect of casino robberies escapes through bulletproof glass

BILLINGS — After somehow breaking through a thick pane of bulletproof glass and dislodging a reinforced-steel frame, a suspect in a string of casino robberies squeezed through a 12-inch-wide window at the Yellowstone County jail Monday morning and escaped.
George Alan Cooper, 26, remained at large Monday.

He is named as a suspect in a casino robbery in Helena.

His lengthy criminal record includes two previous counts of escape — one from a prerelease center in Butte in 1997 and another from a prerelease center in Cascade County in 1999.

Yellowstone County detectives are investigating how he engineered his departure between cell checks at 6 and 7 a.m. Sheriff Chuck Maxwell said it appeared Cooper used a piece of metal torn from a desk in his cell as a pry bar.

His cellmate, who was present at the time of the escape, maintains that he was sleeping and didn't notice anything unusual.

Cooper, who entered the jail March 31 at about 220 pounds, apparently had been fasting with escape in mind. He probably weighed only about 170 pounds Monday.

Immediately after Cooper's absence was discovered, the jail was locked down. Undersheriff Jay Bell said there are no clear indications that anyone else was involved in the escape, but the possibility is being investigated.

Cooper has a criminal record including, escapes, burglaries and thefts dating back to 1993.

At the time of his latest escape, Cooper had brown hair and blue eyes and was sporting a mustache that he had grown while incarcerated in Billings. He stands 5-feet, 10-inches tall and is heavily tattooed on his torso, arms, hands and his left ear. The tattoos feature skulls, dragons, devils, flames, lightning bolts and many other colorful figures.

He was wearing a white, two-piece inmate uniform.

Bell said Cooper should be considered dangerous. Anyone with information may call the sheriff's office at 256-2929.

By Lorna Thackary, the Billings Gazette