‘Grocery Store Bandit’ suspect arrested in Arizona

The “Grocery Store Bandit,” wanted for 13 bank robberies across the Northwest, may have been bagged. A Spokane Police search warrant led to a suspect’s arrest Monday evening in Tempe, Ariz., authorities said.

James R. Joseph, 34, is charged with Friday’s heist at the Washington Mutual Bank at 2215 Northwest Blvd. and a March 26 heist of the Washington Trust Bank at 3810 N. Maple St. in Spokane, the release states. Several of the robberies were at bank branches in supermarkets.

The Grocery Store Bandit was also blamed for two other Spokane bank robberies, but Joseph had not been charged for those.

Spokane Police issued the warrant Monday morning and contacted Tempe police, who arrested Joseph without incident on two counts of first-degree robbery, according to the release. Spokane detectives will travel to Arizona today to question Joseph.

– Nick Eaton

Measure would ban move of Fairchild helicopters

A proposal that would ban the Pentagon from moving rescue helicopters out of Fairchild Air Force Base was introduced Monday in the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., offered an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill that orders the Air Force to spend $4 million for operation and maintenance of the 36th Rescue Flight at Fairchild, adding that “the secretary of Defense shall ensure that no action is taken to deactivate … or to reassign or reorganize any of the search and rescue capabilities of that unit.”

A spokeswoman for Cantwell said the amendment should receive a vote sometime in the next two weeks as the Senate debates the overall defense bill.

The Defense Department has announced plans to move the squadron’s four helicopters to other bases. They are used primarily for training at the U.S. Air Force Survival School and provide rescue aid to law enforcement agencies around the Northwest.

Congressional delegations in Idaho and Washington have said they oppose the move.

– Jim Camden

Convict leads police on two-state car chase

A man wanted for violating his probation led authorities on a two-state chase Sunday night.

The warrant for Michael A. Samuels, 48, was issued out of Boise after he allegedly violated his supervisory release after serving a prison sentence for murder, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Detective Dave Thornburg.

The pursuit began about 9:30 p.m. after Samuels fled from a traffic stop in Benewah County, authorities said. Samuels was chased by the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and Benewah County sheriff’s deputies into Washington, where Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies and Spokane Valley Police picked up the chase.

Samuels finally stopped his 1990 Ford pickup on Sanders Road just east of Prairie View Road, where he was arrested, Thornburg said.

Samuels had self-inflicted stab wounds to his neck, cheek, wrists and legs, authorities said. He is at Deaconess Medical Center where he was listed in serious but stable condition.

– Jody Lawrence-Turner