Rossbach arrested in Dixon cold case murder
By SCOTT SHINDLEDECKER
Valley Press
A man accused of murdering a Dixon area resident two years ago has been arrested and charged with deliberate homicide.
According to information from Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal officials, Cavey Little Rossbach was taken into custody after he was arrested by tribal police on other charges. Rossbach was transferred to the Sanders County Detention Center after the homicide charge was filed last week in District Court. He is being held on $1 million bail.
Rossbach is accused of shooting and killing William “Bill” Conko Camel on Oct. 5, 2018, on Frank McClure Street in Agency, just north of Dixon in Sanders County.
According to court documents, Camel and his girlfriend were visiting a friend when Cavey Rossbach came into the home and attacked Camel. Rossbach allegedly said he blamed Camel for his wife's death and began punching him. Two other men, Ty Butler and Preston Rossbach, joined in the assault on Camel, according to court documents.
Witnesses have told police they witnessed Cavey Rossbach shoot Camel, according to court documents.
When investigators interviewed Cavey Rossbach, he allegedly told them Camel had came at him in the dark with something in his hand and he warned him to stop. He then allegedly said he "unloaded on him, done deal."
An autopsy on Camel indicated he had been shot five times with a rifle.
Butler was implicated in a boat theft in 2015 in Lake County. Preston Rossbach was sentenced to 60 years for his involvement in a double homicide in Missoula in Oct. 2018.
Cavey Rossbach has had prior violent offenses, including the shooting of another man in Dixon in 2006.
In that case, the victim of the shooting went to his cousin's home in Dixon and when he tried to talk to Rossbach about possibly threatening his son, Rossbach shot the man in the leg with a gun.
Rossbach pleaded guilty to criminal endangerment in 2007 and received a 10-year sentence with five years suspended. In 2008, he was released from custody after completing an addiction treatment program.
In 2011, Rossbach was arrested for violating his probation for alleged drug use, failure to report and failure to pay fines, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to the violations and went through two treatment programs before being released again.
In 2012, Rossbach's parole was revoked when he was accused of assaulting his wife in Dixon. It was also reported he had tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana use in 2012.
At the time, the victim told authorities she was afraid if she reported the abuse he would kill her.
According to the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole, Rossbach was paroled in 2014 after a conviction for criminal endangerment in the shooting case from 2006.
Rossbach also received a deferred sentence for a 1994 theft case, had his probation revoked for using drugs and alcohol and received a 10-year sentence to the Montana State Prison in 1995.
In the current homicide charge, Rossbach is set to make his initial appearance in Sanders County District Court Tuesday, Nov. 17.