An extradition hearing for a Squamish man who is in U.S. custody has been set over until later this month at the request of the man's lawyer.
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 are trying to extradite Schwartz for allegedly having taken part in a dozen robberies of grocery stores in the Vancouver area between March and November 2012. Six of those incidents occurred on the North Shore. Schwartz is alleged to have used an "imitation firearm" in the commission of at least four of the offences.
Schwartz's extradition hearing had been set for Monday (March 11) in U.S. District Court in Seattle. However, at the request of his lawyer, the hearing has been set over until March 25, according to court documents.
