At around 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, a couple Missoula residents were walking on a trail near the California Street Foot Bridge. According to Sergeant Jim Klawitter, an incident occurred a short time later.

“A male assaulted one of those people and demanded his wallet,” Klawitter said. “He physically assaulted the guy by punching him and then demanded his wallet. The guy was able to get away without giving up his wallet and called 9-1-1.”

Missoula Police officers responded and located Mark Wheaton in the area. Klawitter says Wheaton matched the description given by the victim.

“Mr. Wheaton is a 60-year-old transient who currently resides in Missoula without an address,” Klawitter said. “When they located Mr. Wheaton, he was uncooperative with officers. He was eventually taken into custody after a struggle.”

As a result, Wheaton is currently being held for felony robbery and obstructing a peace officer.

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