Police arrested a wanted Spokane man late Friday after a standoff 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 Spokane police Officer 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 responded to help take Finkbeiner into custody. After trying for several hours to get him to surrender, 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.

Finkbeiner’s girlfriend, Julie K. French, was arrested on second-degree rendering criminal assistance after telling police he wasn’t at the house, Moses said.

Chelsea Bannach