Police in Southern Oregon nabbed a Myrtle Point man they believe robbed a clerk at a North Bend market at knife point.� 

Officers arrested 46-year-old Randy S. Eickhoff shortly after 11 a.m. Monday in Klamath County, according to a North Bend Police Department press release. Eickhoff was booked at the Deschutes County jail in Bend.

About two hours later, jail guards were to release him on his own recognizance. Instead, two detectives, one from North Bend, one from Coos Bay, drove over halfway and took him into custody from Oregon State Police, bringing Eickhoff to the Coos County jail. He was being held this morning on charges including four counts of first-degree robbery, second-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree theft, unlawful use of a weapon and menacing.

Acting on a tip, local police partnered with four Eastern Oregon agencies to put Eickhoff under surveillance, North Bend officer Jon Bohanan said. He’s not sure where in Klamath County officers apprehended Eickhoff.

As of Monday afternoon, cash taken in the robbery had not been recovered.

“We’ll be working to accommodate them with getting search warrants,” he said.

According to Coos County Circuit Court, Eickhoff’s criminal record includes a 1998 misdemeanor harassment conviction. Eickhoff, who previously lived in Coos Bay, is being held on $2.5 million bail.

The robbery occurred at Airport Heights Market around 4 p.m. Friday. A man entered the store and threatened the lone employee with a knife, demanding money. He fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. Bohanan said he didn’t know whether the suspect was working alone.

A video surveillance camera showed a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and a camouflage-colored baseball cap in the store at the time. The employee described the robber as being about 6 feet tall, with dark brown hair and a medium build.

It was the second such crime last week.

Coos Bay police responded to a call that a knife-wielding robber went into the Quiet Circle Thrift Store on Wednesday. The brown-haired suspect also was wearing a gray sweatshirt and threatened employees with a knife. He took off with money, a purse and clothes.

Bohanan said they are investigating whether the two cases are related.

The other agencies partnering in the investigation included OSP’s Bend and Gilchrist offices, the Deschutes and Klamath county sheriff’s offices, along with the Coos Bay, Myrtle Point and Bandon police departments.

Police are asking anyone in the community with information about either case to call the North Bend or Coos Bay police departments at 756-3161 or 269-8911.

Staff Writer Alexander Rich contributed to this story.