'Bandit' Suspect Son of Former Police Officer

The man called the "Merrimack Valley Bandit," who police say robbed 15 banks and a convenience store in the Merrimack Valley, southern New Hampshire and Maine, including a bank in Westford,  is also the son of a retired Cambridge Police detective who owns a night club in Lawrence.

Rafael Beamud Jr. of Lowell, was arrested in Salem, N.H., Tuesday night after a traffic stop in which police identified him with photos of the "Bandit" from the FBI.

A former Salem, N.H., resident, Beamud Jr. was arrested in Salem earlier this year on drug charges, as reported by Salem Patch. He was charged with felony possession of a controlled drug (cocaine) and transportation of a controlled drug (cocaine) in a Salem school parking lot.

He is also a suspect in a 2012 arson in which his own Salem home burned to the ground.

In September of last year, Beamud's father, night club owner and retired Cambridge Police Detective Rafael Beamud, made headlines when a fugitive from New Hampshire -- accused of dealing drugs -- was apprehended in Beamud's home.