Man sentenced for gas station holdup

A 40-year-old man who robbed a Libby gas

station in February was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday

as part of a plea agreement.

Because of his extensive criminal background,

none of Dale Schroeder’s sentence was deferred, according to court

documents. He pleaded guilty to robbery and in exchange the

prosecution dropped a felony drug possession charge.

Schroeder robbed the Aitkens Quik Stop gas

station in Libby on Feb. 7. The gas station clerk said that his

face was covered with a black handkerchief and he appeared to have

a gun or some sort of weapon in his right pocket as he demanded

money.

Schroeder left with a wad of bills amounting

to about $300 and took off in a vehicle with 47-year-old John David

Lardizabal behind the wheel. 

The men, both from Santa Barbara, Calif., went

only a short distance before being stopped and arrested by a

sheriff’s deputy. The vehicle contained a BB gun, black

handkerchief, and the cash taken from the store. Schroeder

allegedly had a container of Xanax prescription pills on his person

that were not prescribed to him.  

The men had traveled to Libby together only a

month before the robbery.

A felony drug charge was dropped against

Lardizabal in May for a guilty plea to misdemeanor charges and a

promise to testify against Schroeder. He was sentenced in justice

court to 121 days in jail for traffic violations, possession of

drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license and no

liability insurance.