Sheriff's deputies linked a car theft Memorial Day weekend to a residential burglary in Spokane Valley because the victim homeowner wrote down the license plate of the thief's getaway car, officials said today.

A man who owns a home in the area of 4600 E. 2nd Ave. said he arrived home about 9 a.m. Friday and saw a man run from his fenced backyard and drive away in a Honda. The license plate the homeowner wrote down matched the plate of a 1988 Honda stolen from a driveway in the area of 4300 E. 2nd Ave. on May 27, according to the Spokane County Sherifff's Office.

Sheriff's deputy Ryan Smith was patrolling the area of Broadway Avenue near Progress Elementary School Saturday when he spotted the Honda in an undeveloped alleyway near the school. He watched the vehicle until Courtney Lee Baldwin, 38, got in the driver's seat, the sheriff's office said.

Smith detained Baldwin, and the Honda's owner arrived and confirmed he had no idea who Baldwin was. The burglary victim also arrived and said Baldwin was the man he'd seen run from his yard.

Baldwin, who did not speak to deputies, was booked into jail on charges of second-degree burglary, reckless driving (for the burglary getaway) and third-degree driving while suspected. He also faces additional charges of driving while suspended and obsession of a stolen motor vehicle.
  

An early-morning crash involving a stolen Honda led to two arrests and the discovery of drug material in the driver's purse today in north Spokane.

Crime Stoppers is targeting a suspected car thief with “some fairly visible tattoos,” the organization announced. 

Zachariah Leonard Zech, 33, is wanted for second-degree taking a motor vehicle without permission.

He was arrested Aug. 11 after police stopped him at Spokane Community College in a stolen 1995 Honda.

There was a shaved key in the car's ignition, police said. Zech said a friend had told him he could use the car, which he claimed was parked near Rowan and Sanson with a key inside.

A $10,000 arrest warrant was issued Dec. 15 after he failed to show up for a court hearing.  Crime Stoppers issued a reward for information on his capture this week.

Zech, 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds, was last known to live in the 2700 block of East Sanson. He has several tattoos, including “Sinful Nature” on the left side of a his head and the infamous tear drop under his left eye.

Anyone with information on his current location is asked to call 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online.

A level 3 sex offender who hasn’t checked in with authorities recently was arrested Sunday evening after he allegedly crashed into another car while fleeing Spokane police in a stolen Honda Accord. 

Travis R. Keene, 30, remains in jail on a probation hold after appearing in Superior Court Monday on charges of taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission, eluding police, possession of methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm.

The chase began about 7 p.m. Sunday near Division Street and Glass Avenue ended at East Empire Avenue and North Perry Street, where Keene crashed into another car, injuring a woman driver and an 8-year-old girl, police said. They did not need to be hospitalized.

Keene fled the crash scene on foot, according to police, but was chased down by Officer Sean Wheeler. He was taken to a hospital to check on back pain before being booked into jail.

Keene, classified as a sex offender considered most likely to reoffend, is on Department of Corrections supervision until 2013.

He was released from prison in November 2006 after serving three years for third-degree rape for attacking a 23-year-old woman he had just met. He also has a conviction as a teenager for lewd conduct.

The sheriff’s office sex offender registry lists him as noncompliant for failing to verify his address.