A Squamish man currently in U.S. custody for allegedly having deserted from the U.S. Air Force has agreed to be extradited to Canada to faces charges in a string of robberies in the Lower Mainland.
Thomas John Schwartz, a.k.a. Thomas John Stone, was arrested after he tried to cross the border from Canada into the U.S. on Dec. 15. U.S. authorities allege that he deserted from the U.S. Air Force in 1972 and fled to Canada.
Canadian authorities sought his extradition to face justice in 12 separate robberies that occurred in the Vancouver area between March and November 2012. Schwartz is alleged to have used an imitation firearm in at least four of the incidents. Six of those incidents occurred at stores on the North Shore, according to court documents.
Schwartz, who has been in U.S. custody since December, faced an extradition hearing on Monday (March 25) in U.S. District Court in Seattle. During the hearing, he agreed to be extradited, Emily Langlie, spokeperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office's Western Washington branch, wrote in an email.
He likely will be back in Canada within the next 90 days, Langlie wrote. Various country-to-country notifications have to happen.
