Vehicle prowlers hit Liberty Lake
Vehicles prowls appear to be on the rise again in Liberty Lake, with one reported on Jan. 30 and two reported on Feb. 2. The recent increase doesn’t seem to be confined within the boundaries of Liberty Lake, however.
“South of Sprague we’ve been told there were a lot of them there at the same time,” said Liberty Lake police Chief Brian Asmus.
A truck battery was reported stolen in the first incident in the 21500 block of East Mission Avenue. A GPS unit was taken from the 22900 block of East Settler Drive and a wallet was reported missing from the 400 block of North Mitchell Drive on Feb. 2.
Police regularly patrol local construction sites and it paid off Feb. 1 when an officer arrested a man for allegedly stealing scrap metal and pipes. The officer spotted the loaded pickup truck in the area of 25000 Hawkstone Loop at 8 a.m. The driver told the officer he worked for a plumbing company and was making a delivery and the officer initially let the man go, Asmus said. A citizen told the officer he had seen the man loading his truck with items from the construction site. The officer pulled the driver over again at Appleway and Madson Road and arrested Coeur d’Alene resident Michael D. Rosen, 53, on charges of felony second-degree burglary and felony second-degree possession of stolen property.
A speeding driver was pulled over in the 19600 block of East Cataldo Avenue at 7 p.m. Saturday. The driver had a suspended license and was also wanted on a warrant for driving with a suspended license, Asmus said. The passenger of the car, a juvenile, smelled of marijuana and had a smoking device and marijuana in his pants pocket, Asmus said. The driver was arrested and police will recommend a drug possession charge for the teen, he said.
Between Jan. 30 and Monday, there were five other arrests for driving with a suspended license.
A woman came to the police station on Jan. 30 to report that someone had used her debit card to withdraw more than $500 from an ATM in Liberty Lake at 2 a.m. that morning. Video surveillance footage showed that the card had been used by the woman’s companion, Asmus said, who apparently snuck out of the hotel room the two were sharing as the woman slept. He left town before the footage was reviewed, Asmus said.
A resident in the 1300 block of North Mitchell Drive called police at 6 p.m. Jan. 31 to report that someone had broken into her house, but nothing had been taken. A witness said they had seen a man and a teenage boy around the house several hours earlier, Asmus said.
During the week officers handed out two citations for license and plates required, three for failure to show proof of liability insurance and 10 for speeding. An additional citation was issued for use of a cellphone while driving.