Suspect linked to car prowls in Liberty Lake

Liberty Lake Police officers made an arrest in the early morning hours of Monday connected to a recent string of vehicle prowls and their suspect has a familiar face.

Robert L. Hahn, 30, has a lengthy criminal history in Washington and Idaho for theft and related charges. He has been arrested for committing garage burglaries and vehicle prowls in Liberty Lake before, most recently in December.

Officers were on patrol at about 4 a.m. Monday and found a car parked in the 24000 block of East Desmet Avenue. The car came back registered to Hahn, but officers could not find him in the area, said police Chief Brian Asmus. A short time later officers spotted the car leaving the area and pulled it over. An iPhone was found in Hahn’s pocket, and burglary tools were found in the car, Asmus said.

One officer went back to the area where the car was spotted to look for evidence of garage burglaries or vehicle prowls. An open garage was spotted in the 24200 block of East Desmet, and it looked like one of the cars in the driveway had been broken into, Asmus said. The homeowner said an iPhone was missing from the car and police were able to identify the phone in Hahn’s pocket as the one stolen from the car, he said.

Hahn was arrested on charges of felony possession of burglary tools, possession of stolen property, two counts of second degree vehicle prowling and driving with a suspended license.