A Squamish man currently in U.S. custody for allegedly having deserted from the U.S. Air Force faces an extradition hearing next week in Seattle.
Thomas John Schwartz, also known as Thomas John Stone, faces 12 counts of robbery in connection with a string of crimes that occurred between March 31 and Nov. 17, 2012, at grocery stores in West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver and Burnaby.
Schwartz tried to cross into the U.S. on Dec. 15 but was arrested on a warrant for allegedly having deserted the U.S. Air Force in 1972.
According to documents from the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, he was detained at the border after having arrived in a taxi cab with no passport, but with a birth certificate and U.S. military discharge papers.
Questioned by border officials, Schwartz said he had been gone for 40 years and changed his name while in Canada. Asked why he went to Canada, Schwartz "responded that he needed a change," court documents state. "He said he got out of the Air Force and moved to Calgary."
It's not known when Schwartz, who was known as Tom Stone to those who had dealings with him, had lived in Squamish. For about a year ending in early 2012, he worked as a salesman for a Coquitlam-based cellular phone company that has since closed its office here. In January, a company official interviewed by The Chief said he had no knowledge of Stone's past or the alleged robberies during the time he worked for the firm.
In at least four of the alleged incidents - the first six of which occurred on the North Shore - Schwartz is alleged to have used an "imitation firearm" in the commission of the offence, according to court documents.
Canadian law-enforcement authorities are attempting to extradite Schwartz to face justice on the robbery charges. A hearing is set for next Monday (March 11) in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
On Jan. 30, U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida ordered Schwartz detained pending next week's hearing. "There are grounds to believe that if given the opportunity, [Schwartz] will avoid detention by law enforcement in order to avoid facing justice," he wrote.
At the moment, Schwartz is in custody at the Federal Detention Centre in Sea Tac, Wash.
Caterina-905-8200.
