Ex-Ranger who fled house arrest found in Canada

Canadian authorities have rearrested a former U.S. Army Ranger accused of leading a takeover-style bank robbery last year in Tacoma.

Luke Sommer had been under house arrest at his mother's home in Peachland, B.C., but disappeared June 27.

Sommer had been scheduled for a court hearing July 10 to determine whether Canada would extradite him to the U.S. so he could stand trial on charges related to the bank robbery.

Plainclothes officers with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested Sommer on Thursday afternoon without incident after receiving a tip that he was using a phone booth near an Ikea store in Richmond, B.C., a suburb of Vancouver.

An RCMP emergency-response team watched the phone booth and moved in after spotting a man they believed to be Sommer, said Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre, an RCMP spokesman.

The officers initially were unsure if they had the right man, Lemaitre said, because Sommer weighs roughly 90 pounds more than he did at the time of the August robbery.

"He's been living at home with mom. Mom's a good cook, I guess," Lemaitre said.

Sommer was returned to Kelowna, near Peachland, and was to appear in court Friday on charges of violating the conditions of his bail and failing to appear for his extradition hearing.

A spokesman for the RCMP could not be reached for comment on the outcome of the hearing.

Christel Davidsen, Sommer's mother, said her son disappeared after celebrating his 21st birthday with family and friends. Sommer, who has dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship, was born in Kelowna and grew up in Peachland.

Federal prosecutors allege Sommer masterminded the Aug. 7, 2006, robbery of a Bank of America branch in Tacoma. The robbers, some armed with AK-47s, made off with $54,011.

Sommer traveled to Canada the night of the robbery and was arrested in Westbank, B.C., a few days later.

Court papers allege that Sommer's motive for the robbery was to raise funds to start a crime family to rival the Hells Angels for control of the drug trade in the Kelowna area.

Sommer told The Seattle Times in December that his motive was to bring attention to war crimes by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. An Army investigation found no evidence to support Sommer's claims.

Alex Blum and Chad Palmer, who served alongside Sommer in C Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, have pleaded guilty to taking part in the robbery.

Tigra Robertson, of Kelowna, and Nathan Dunmall, of Chilliwack, B.C., also have pleaded guilty to taking part in the robbery, although Robertson is still contesting firearms charges in connection with the case.

David Bowermaster: 206-464-2724 or dbowermaster@seattletimes.com. Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com