Liberty Lake officer uses stun gun on ‘ranting’ bicyclist

A busy week for the Liberty Lake Police Department was topped by a man throwing a bicycle at an officer at Barker Road and Cataldo Avenue the morning of June 26.

An officer saw the man riding a bicycle north on Barker in the southbound lane before the cyclist ran a red light, forcing drivers to swerve to avoid hitting him, said Police Chief Brian Asmus. The officer tried to stop the man, but he refused. He crashed in the intersection and when the officer got out of his car the man threw the bike at him, Asmus said.

The man, identified as 25-year-old Daniel M. Taylor Campbell, was described as “ranting and screaming,” Asmus said. Campbell would not follow directions and was shot with a stun gun after he threw the bike to the side of the road, Asmus said. Additional officers arrived and Campbell was treated by medics. Officers reported that he appeared to be under the influence of something, Asmus said.

The Spokane County Jail refused to accept Campbell because of his condition and he was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center for treatment, where he had to be sedated because he was increasingly volatile and combative, Asmus said.

Campbell now faces felony charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and eluding a police officer.

The Post Falls Police Department contacted police on June 11 regarding a forgery suspect they had arrested who was suspected of forging checks in Liberty Lake. An additional investigation uncovered two accomplices, one of whom was in the Spokane County Jail. The trio had apparently been stealing checks from the mail to forge, Asmus said. The investigation is ongoing.

A resident in the 1200 block of North Eagle Street reported on June 25 that a neighbor’s dog bit their child and that the dog had gotten loose and acted aggressively in the past, Asmus said. The child’s pants and underwear were torn, but the skin was not broken, he said. The Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service will handle the incident.

A resident in the 25000 block of East Hawkstone Loop reported that his ex-girlfriend pulled the fire alarm outside his apartment the evening of June 25 in an attempt to get him to come out. The woman faces a charge of tampering with a fire alarm.

Four hitchhikers were reported at Appleway Avenue and Liberty Lake Road on Sunday night. An officer contacted the four, who said they were on their way to the Rainbow Family Gathering in Montana. One of the four was a runaway from Portland and the family was contacted to pick the juvenile up, Asmus said.

A resident in the 23000 block of East Appleway Avenue reported hearing a loud pop and then finding two broken windows in his truck Saturday morning. The man was using a weed cutter when he heard the noise and looked up to see a silver car driving away, Asmus said.

The window glass was leaning outward, which would seem to indicate that something exited the window from inside the truck, Asmus said.

The incident is under investigation.

Officers also responded to a hit-and-run accident at Mission Avenue and Harvard Road, a traffic accident on Interstate 90, an accident at Country Vista Drive and Liberty Lake Road and a report of domestic violence assault.

During the week officers made four arrests for driving with a suspended license and one for driving under the influence. They handed out two citations for expired registration, seven for failure to show proof of liability insurance and two for texting while driving. Additional citations were given for driving without a license with identification, defective muffler, failure to stop at a red light, speeding, use of a cellphone, driving with wheels off the road and unlawfully riding on a roadway.