A former assisted living center employee accused of robbing the place at gunpoint early Wednesday was ordered jailed on $50,000 bond after appearing in Spokane County Superior Court.

Timothy J. Martinez, 28, locked a 20-year-old female employee and a 77-year-old male resident in a room at Guardian Angel Homes in Liberty Lake after stealing a bag of narcotics about 2 a.m., according to Liberty Lake Police Department.

The center is across the street from the police department.

An officer and two sheriff's deputies responded within one minute.  They saw a man later identified as Martinez throw something under a parked car near the center. An officer forced him to the ground and put him in the back of his patrol car before retrieving the bag of drugs and an Airsoft rifle that had a laser sight attached, accoridng to court documents prepared by police.

Police followed Martinez's footprints in the snow back to the center. The employee said the robber knocked on the door and said he had a medication delivery, then displayed the rifle when she opened the door. The man was wearing a ski mask, but the employee said his voice sounded very familiar and that he kept apologizing to her and calling her by name. Martinez worked at the center last summer, according to police.

Martinez told police he was sorry but was “having money issues and had no choice,” according to court documents.

“This is what I get for having an idea about trying to make a quick buck,” he said.

Martinez remains in jail on charges of first-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree kidnapping and three counts of possession of a controlled substance: Lorazepam, Tramadol and Hydrocodone.

The skeletal remains found near Henry Road in Liberty Lake Saturday have been identified as a man missing since April.

 Investigators say Christopher R. Milam, 51, died of a single gunshot wound to his chest. Police found a gun near his body. They have not ruled Milam's death a suicide and say they will be interviewing Milam's family.

Read more from Nina Culver here.

A father and son became stuck in the mud Tuesday while leading police on an interstate chase after attempting to steal merchandise from the Wal-Mart just east of the Idaho-Washington border.

Michael R. Dyczok, 64, (left) and Michael Dyczok, Jr., 35, (right) were arrested near East Wellesley Avenue and North Harvard Road just before 11 p.m. after leading Post Falls police on a high-speed chase in a blue Volkswagen Jetta.

Post Falls police began watching Wal-Mart after an employee said the men had filled storage containers with merchandise earlier that day and placed them near the fire exit. Police saw the men grab the storage containers and flee through the fire exit, then speed away in the Jetta.  

But the father and son duo drove down a dead end road just across the Washington border and got stuck in mud, police say. Liberty Lake police assisted with the arrests.

Police say the Dyczoks threw a stolen X-Box from their car during the chase. It was recovered, along with other stolen merchandise located in the Jetta.

The men were booked into jail on charges of eluding police and tampering with evidence. The younger Dyczok also faces a charge of driving on a suspended California license.

Liberty Lake police think the blue 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse they say is pictured above may be involved in several burglaries.

The burglaries occurred at businesses and one residence in late November and early December.

Police think the thieves may be armed because several weapons were stolen in the home burglary.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Liberty Lake Police Department at (509) 755-1140.

No word on whether they’ve checked the license plate number.