Wanted man arrested after Friday night standoff

Police arrested a wanted Spokane man Friday after a stand-off that lasted several hours. Robert T. Finkbeiner, 44, had warrants stemming from March 2009 for first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm, said police spokesman Tim Moses. Police attempted to contact Finkbeiner about 9:30 p.m. at his home at 121 S. Haven St. but he refused to surrender, Moses said. The SWAT team and hostage negotiators were called in to help take Finkbeiner into custody. After trying for several hours to get him to surrender for several hours, SWAT executed a search warrant on the home and used chemical agents to take him into custody. He was booked into Spokane County Jail on the warrants. Police were worried the man might be armed, since a search of his residence last year turned up five guns, Moses said. It is not known if he did have guns in the home at the time of his latest arrest. He said when police first arrived at the home, the man’s girlfriend, Julie K. French, answered the door, but said Finkbeiner was not home. However Moses said police saw him in the house through the open door. French was arrested for second-degree rendering criminal assistance and also booked into Spokane County Jail.