Port Townsend man accused of bank robbery

FBI agents took a Port Townsend man into custody this morning at the Pierce County jail, where the so-called “John Doe” bandit has been held since his arrest Oct. 8 after the robbery of the Bank of America at 101 S. Ninth St., in Tacoma.

Michael John Fenter, 40 was to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Tacoma this afternoon. He was arrested on investigation of bank robbery, and being armed in the commission of a violent felony, the Seattle office of the FBI said in a prepared statement.

Fenter was booked into the Pierce County jail as John Doe when he refused to identify himself. Investigators later determined his identity, the FBI said.

In the Oct. 8 hold-up, the robber said he had a bomb. When he was arrested. Fenter was armed with a gun and an explosive device, police said.

He also is being investigated in connection with other bank robberies in San Francisco, Sacramento and Seattle since early 2009, the FBI said.

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