'Bandit' Suspect Arrested in Salem the 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, 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 Tuesday night after a traffic stop in which police identified him with photos of the "Bandit" from the FBI. He was found with $2,000 on him at the time of the arrest, according to Salem Deputy Police Chief Shawn Patten.

A former Salem 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.

Beamud lived in Salem up until the time the home burned down, according to Patten. In the time since, Patten said Beamud Jr. frequented the Salem area.

In September of last year, Beamud Jr.'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.

According to the Lowell Sun, Beamud Jr. is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Boston today. The report also indicates that the robbery spree is believed to have begun in Methuen on Feb. 21, just days after he was apprehended for drugs by Salem Police.