Spokane police arrest T-Mobile robbery suspect

Feb. 3, 2020 Updated Mon., Feb. 3, 2020 at 8:42 p.m.

By Chad Sokol chadso@spokesman.com (509) 459-5047

Spokane police have arrested a 37-year-old man accused of stealing cellphones from a T-Mobile store and threatening employees with a knife in December.

According to a news release, officers responded to the store at 4911 S. Regal St. on Dec. 11. Employees reported a man had entered the store and cut the cords on four display phones worth more than $3,000. When confronted, the man pulled out a knife and threatened employees.

The employees backed off and the man got away in a vehicle before police arrived. But one employee captured a photo of the man and showed it to police.

Officers recognized the man as Michael S. Budik, who has an extensive criminal record, and issued a warrant for first-degree robbery.

Budik was not arrested until Jan. 27, when a patrol officer spotted him driving a vehicle in north Spokane, according to the news release. In addition to the robbery charge, he was jailed on warrants for second-degree theft and a probation or parole violation. He remained in jail Monday with bond set at $100,000.

According to the news release, Budik has 11 prior felonies on his record, including convictions for assault, theft, robbery with a deadly weapon, rioting with a deadly weapon, trafficking stolen property, identity theft and drug possession while in prison.

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