“Dollar Store Grandpa Bandit” arrested

A six-week spree of robberies at Dollar stores in multiple states has likely come to an end.

The accused “Dollar Store Grandpa Bandit” was arrested Tuesday, according to a news release from the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.

In total, the suspect committed 10 robberies at Dollar Tree Stores and Dollar General Stores across the nation, including most recent robberies in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Following the robbery in Connecticut, the Connecticut State Parole Office identified the suspect as David D. Hunter, 53, of Enfield Connecticut. Connecticut law enforcement officials along with the FBI were able to track Hunter to a casino in eastern Indiana.

The FBI, working with the Lawrenceburg Police Department in Indiana, took Hunter into custody at the casino without incident. Hunter is being held by the FBI on federal charges.

This is a joint investigation involving many law enforcement agencies across the country who have worked hard to identify and arrest Hunter.

CDA PD’s news release did not indicate Hunter is a suspect in the robbery of the Dollar store in Coeur d’Alene over Memorial Day Weekend, but the department did announce last month that they believed the Coeur d’Alene suspect could be linked to robberies at other Dollar Tree stores in New York, Wisconsin and Michigan earlier this month.

In the Coeur d’Alene case, around 8:55 p.m., police responded to an armed robbery at the Dollar Tree, 406 W. Neider Ave. Employees said a man brandished a black handgun and demanded money. After taking an undisclosed amount of money, the male fled. The suspect was described as a white male, 45 to 50 years old with short white hair and a white mustache. He is about 5-foot-9 with a medium build and blue or hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a tan and white plaid shirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

The CDA PD news release about the suspect’s arrest stated the investigation is ongoing and no additional information will be released at this time.