A Lakeside man has been rewarded for his efforts that led to the arrest and conviction of the serial bank robber known as the “motorcycle bandit.”
Sixty-two-year-old Billy Rice received $5,500 in rewards for following the robber after he left Glacier Bank in Lakeside last September.
Rice says the robber jumped on a red dirt bike and Rice tailed him on his motorcycle, keeping a safe distance. He followed the robber as he drove into a wooded area, but lost him. Then he saw a pickup truck, so he followed it, believing it was being driven by the robber.
He called law enforcement officers, who eventually arrested Steven Dee Norred. The Bigfork man was sentenced Thursday to just over 14 years in prison for robbing five banks.