Garage, vehicle burglaries up in Liberty Lake

The reprieve was nice while it lasted.

Liberty Lake Police officers are back to dashing from one neighborhood to the next in response to calls reporting garage burglaries and vehicle prowls. Many residents are still leaving their garages and cars unlocked overnight, allowing easy access to thieves.

The week of Jan. 10-Monday included seven such calls. A resident in the 24000 block of East Maxwell Avenue called police the morning of Jan. 10 to report that someone had entered their garage sometime during the night. The car doors were left open and a set of keys were missing, said police chief Brian Asmus. A call on Jan. 11 reported a vehicle prowl in the 1600 block of North Holl Road. The resident said someone broke out a passenger side window of his car and took numerous items, including an iPod Touch, clothing, checks and textbooks, Asmus said. He called police back the next day to say that someone had found some of his items at Barker Road and Indiana Avenue and returned them, Asmus said.

Some spare change and a garage door remote came up missing in a garage burglary in the 22800 block of East Settler Drive that was discovered the morning of Jan. 13. A resident in the 1800 block of North Aladdin Road called police at 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 15 to report that someone was in their garage. Police were on scene within three minutes but found no one, said Asmus. A snowboard was missing and the homeowner said it appeared that several other items were disturbed.

Shortly after this report, the officer decided to patrol nearby homes and look for other possible garage burglaries, Asmus said. A vehicle parked in a driveway in the 19500 block of East Nora Avenue had a door open slightly and its dome light on. The officer contacted the homeowner, who said it looked like someone had gone through the car but nothing was missing, Asmus said.

A resident in the 22800 block of Country Vista Drive reported on Monday that when they returned from a weeklong absence they found signs that someone had unsuccessfully tried to break into their garage, Asmus said.

There were five arrests during the week. Two people were arrested for driving with a suspended license and one was arrested for trespassing. A car was stopped for making an illegal turn at Valleyway and Molter at 1:55 a.m. on Sunday. The driver was a minor who did not have a license or learner’s permit, said Asmus. The passenger, a 29-year-old fromDenton, Texas, said he was allowing the minor to practice his driving skills, Asmus said. The passenger was arrested for allowing an unauthorized person to drive.

A speeding car was stopped in the 1500 block of North Liberty Lake Road on Monday. The officer detected the odor of marijuana and the driver reportedly admitted that he had marijuana in his pocket and a drug pipe in the car, Asmus said. The 19-year-old Liberty Lake resident was arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Graffiti was reported nearCountry Vista Drive and Mission Avenue behind Albertsons on Jan. 11.

During the week officers handed out three citations for failure to show proof of liability insurance and four for speeding. Additional citations were given for license and plates required, failure to sign/carry vehicle registration, defective muffler and no splash aprons/fenders.