Roger Hawkes, 71, was sentenced in federal court Feb. 3 to nine months in prison for stealing items from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2024.

The Coeur d’Alene man pleaded guilty to a count of removing archeological resources before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston.

Hawkes entered the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls on Sept. 14, 2024, approached a table-top display entitled “Weapons of the Expedition Interpretation,” and stole two historic weapons. The first is an authentic, antique, English, single-shot, black-powder Mortimer pistol, and the second is a knife in a leather, beaded sheath. Both items were made in the late 1700s or early 1800s, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Man charged in Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center theft [2025]

Video surveillance appeared to show him conceal both items up his sleeve as he left the building.

The U.S. Forest Service posted information about the theft on social media and received tips Hawkes was selling knives at the Little Red Truck Cottage Market. A witness confirmed Hawkes was in Great Falls Sept. 15-16, 2024, selling western items, including knives and antique pistols. Local law enforcement was able to confirm Hawkes was at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center when the theft occurred, according to court documents.

Hawkes sold the stolen pistol to Cisco’s Gallery and law enforcement recovered it on Oct. 24, 2024.

Following his arrest on an unrelated matter, an FBI Task Force Officer interviewed Hawkes about the September 2024 theft. He initially denied any involvement, but later said the knife, which he thought was a replica, was in his storage unit. He allowed the FBI to enter the unit and they recovered the knife, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

During a second interview in May 2025, Hawkes again denied stealing the pistol and knife and said pleading guilty in his prior case did not seem to help since he received a prison sentence as opposed to probation. Hawkes; criminal history of theft spans more than four decades in California, Nevada and Idaho, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Myers prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Great Falls Police Department, the U.S. Forest Service, and the FBI Art Crime Team/FBI Billings Division.