Man Sought On Warrants Arrested After Standoff

A longtime Spokane-area criminal was taken into custody Sunday eve- ning after a standoff at a hotel, police said.

Spokane police officers obtained a search warrant for a room at the Shangri-La Motel and Apartments at 2922 W. Government after learning that Steven N. Tofte, 40, was there, Lt. Dave Richards said.

Tofte was wanted on five warrants, including residential burglary, possession of a controlled substance, forgery, unlawful issuance of a bank check and failure to report to work release, police said.

When police entered the motel room, Tofte locked himself in the bathroom. Someone told police Tofte had a gun, Richards said.

Tofte surrendered after talking with police for about an hour.

Last July, Tofte was wanted on a nationwide extradition warrant for escape. He has 17 convictions in this area, including burglaries, drug offenses and robbery.