Liberty Lake police busy with wide range of calls

Liberty Lake police officers were kept busy the week of July 9-16 as they responded to calls for everything from a man smashing windows to a group of teens reportedly trying to lure a 10-year-old girl into a car.

The attempted child luring was reported at Country Vista Drive and Wright Boulevard at 9:20 p.m. Sunday. The girl and her mother were unloading their car when a black car, possibly a Honda, approached, said Police Chief Brian Asmus. The car was full of teenage males and the driver told the girl he had candy and that she needed to hurry and get in the car, Asmus said. The girl ran inside and her mother called 911.

Given that teenagers were involved and it happened on a busy street, Asmus said he’s not sure if the teens were pulling a prank or not. “We obviously take it seriously,” he said. The officer who responded was unable to locate the car in the area.

Police were called to the 1300 block of North Liberty Lake Road at 10:30 p.m. on July 9. They arrived to find a man holding two braided ropes with steel hooks on the ends, Asmus said. He was seen breaking out windows at Carl’s Jr. with the hooks and broken windows were also discovered at American West Bank.

The man, a 53-year-old Rathdrum resident, appeared overly excited and was sweating heavily, Asmus said. Paramedics were called and he was taken to the hospital. “We actually have a protocol now if we think someone has excited delirium,” Asmus said. “Medics are called.”

After the man was cleared by medical staff he was charged with two counts of second-degree malicious mischief.

A hit-and-run accident was reported in the 21000 block of Country Vista Drive at 1:50 a.m. Friday. A man in a blue Dodge pickup drove into the side of a garage and then ran away from the accident, Asmus said. The truck was still running and the officer was concerned that it might start a fire but couldn’t get in to turn it off, he said. “It was halfway through the side of the garage,” he said. “The fire department came out and cut out the garage door.”

The license plates on the truck had been reported stolen and police believe the truck is also stolen, although no report has yet been filed. The truck’s ignition was punched out and the remains of a car dealership sticker were on a window, Asmus said. “We know it was stolen off of a lot somewhere, but we haven’t gotten any reports,” he said. The truck’s driver has not been located.

A resident in west Liberty Lake called police at 7:30 p.m. Friday to report that two people were arguing on his front porch and that he would shoot them if they entered the house. Police could not find anyone in the area when they arrived and the resident initially did not want to come out and talk to police, Asmus said.

The man finally did come out and as he was talking to officers he pointed out the people in his yard, but there was no one there, Asmus said. Police believe the man was having some sort of mental health issue, Asmus said. “We never did find a gun,” he said. “It was bizarre.”

A resident called police at 8:40 p.m. on July 9 at Legacy Ridge to report two women who appeared to have dug something up. The women told police they had buried a time capsule there when they were seniors in high school and had returned to dig it up because construction was going on in the area.

A homeowner in the 23000 block of East Main Avenue called police at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday to report that someone had broken out one of his basement windows. The officer determined that a large amount of water from a storm flooded the basement window, which caused it to break, Asmus said.

Officers made five arrests for driving with a suspended license, one on an escape warrant and one for operating a vehicle without a required ignition interlock device. One driver was arrested on multiple charges when he was stopped at 7:40 p.m. on July 10 at Mission Avenue and Homestead Drive. The officer could smell marijuana and asked the driver if he had smoked any recently, Asmus said. The obliging driver reportedly handed over a smoking device and a plastic bag of marijuana, he said. The driver was arrested on charges of driving with a suspended license, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

During the week officers handed out nine citations for failure to show proof of liability insurance, two for defective muffler, five for speeding and two for failure to wear a safety belt. Additional citations were given for license and plates required, expired registration, driving without a license without identification, no splash aprons/fenders, failure to stop at a red light, use of a cellphone, texting while driving and littering.