Posted: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 10:00 pm
For the Democrat-Herald
Marion County Sheriff's Deputies arrested John Lee Will, 37, at about 12:20 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Lincoln and Settlemeier in Woodburn.
On Wednesday, FBI agents obtained a federal grand jury indictment charging WILL, a Woodburn resident, with one count of bank robbery for a robbery at the Wells Fargo Bank in Albany on November 5.
After obtaining the indictment and arrest warrant, the FBI alerted local authorities to be on the lookout for Will. A Marion County deputy on patrol Thursday spotted the suspect's car and called for assistance. The deputies stopped Will in his vehicle and arrested him without incident.
Will is suspected in a total of 11 robberies stretching from Albany to Lake Oswego over the past six weeks.
In most of the incidents, the robber used or threatened a weapon and then left the scene on a bicycle earning him the nickname "bike bandit."
In each robbery investigation, the FBI partnered with the local police departments and sheriffs offices who also responded to the scene. Media reports about the "bike bandit" over the past week generated numerous tips leading investigators to Will.
Will is in federal custody and will likely make his initial appearance before a federal judge on Friday.