SANDPOINT — A Ponderay man wanted by the federal government was arrested Sunday by city police during a traffic stop near the Long Bridge.

Joseph E. Lemieux, 42, who was wanted by the US Marshals for a probation violation, was arrested at approximately 5:09 p.m. without incident on First Avenue and E. Superior Street, Sandpoint Police Chief Mark Lockwood said.

After receiving a tip that Lemieux was living in a west side neighborhood, Sandpoint police officers watched the area, Lockwood said.

A surveillance team saw the suspect leave Ridley Village in a red Subaru with an older man Sunday afternoon.

With the assistance of the Ponderay police, a patrol unit intercepted the vehicle at First Avenue and Superior Street and found Lemieux lying down on the back seat.

“We wanted to separate him from any weapons, or barricade-type situation,” Lockwood said.

“This way, we got to pick the time and place.”

Lemieux was arrested north of the Long Bridge and taken into custody without incident, police said. He is behind bars at the Bonner County Jail.

Records show that Lemieux was arrested in Lincoln County, Mont., in 2006 for possession and interstate transportation of unlicensed silencers.

He was tried and convicted in U.S. District Court in Missoula, given concurrent two-year sentences and placed on supervised release for three years.

A special condition required him to participate in mental health treatment, according to court records.

Lemieux served time at a federal medical center in Butner, N.C. before his supervision was transferred to Idaho.

Lemieux violated the terms of his supervised release by using marijuana, Marshals said.

Marshals issued a warrant for his arrest last week, initiating a manhunt for the 42-year-old.

The older driver of the vehicle told police he was unaware that Lemieux was in trouble or wanted, Lockwood said. No charges were filed against the man.