CALDWELL, Idaho — A Caldwell man is facing charges after police say he wielded a knife during the robbery of a fast food restaurant Wednesday.
The suspect, 40-year-old Joel Martinez, is also accused of trying to rob a bank in Nampa a short time earlier. Police say Martinez was spotted driving west away from the bank on Caldwell Boulevard in a green passenger car.
The restaurant robbery happened at 12:10 p.m. at the Jack in the Box on Ustick Road in Caldwell. Jack in the Box employees told police that a man had shown them a knife, then taken cash from the register and drove away in a green car.
A Caldwell Police officer on patrol spotted the car less than a mile from the Jack in the Box, and pulled Martinez over. Martinez was taken into custody, and interviewed by investigators.
Police say they found evidence in Martinez's car that linked him to both the Jack in the Box robbery and the attempt on the bank in Nampa.
He was arrested and taken to the Canyon County Jail, where he was booked on felony charges of robbery and burglary. The Nampa Police Department is also investigating, and additional charges could be pending, police say.
