Detectives: Crime Spree Was ‘Totally Preventable’
Sheriff’s detectives have linked a Valley man to a string of at least 40 vehicle prowlings in the Liberty Lake area.
They also believe the 22-year-old is responsible for two garage burglaries and thefts of a minivan and pickup truck. Both vehicles were later rolled down hills or steep embankments.
In every case, the victims made the crimes easy by leaving doors unlocked or storing keys in their vehicles, sheriff’s detectives said.
Detectives called the crime spree “totally preventable.”
James J. Elston was arrested on Aug. 30 and charged with taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission. Following an investigation, detectives this week recommended prosecutors also charge Elston with vehicle theft, residential burglary, theft of a firearm and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He is being held in the Spokane County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.
Elston had been living north of Liberty Lake for the last 20 months. He had a legal guardian and lived in an adult foster home, but was not developmentally disabled, according to the home’s operator.
Detectives believe Elston stole money out of at least 40 unlocked vehicles during the last seven months, often during evening walks. All of the prowlings took place in neighborhoods north and west of Liberty Lake.
The vehicles were never damaged or entered by force, sheriff’s Det. Tim Hines said. Cash was stolen but wallets and purses were left otherwise intact. Cellular phones, credit cards and compact disks were left untouched.
Detectives have decided to pursue only the more serious burglary and theft cases.
They have accused Elston of stealing a 1988 Dodge Caravan last month. The key had been sitting inside the vehicle. Ironically, the minivan had been totaled and a wrecker was scheduled to pick it up when it was stolen and rolled down a hill off Green Ridge Drive.
Detectives also accuse Elston of stealing a 1996 Dodge Ram pickup last month and rolling it down a steep embankment near Lakeside and Zephyr roads. A jogger found the truck, badly damaged, but with its motor still running. The key used in the theft had been hidden under the back bumper, Det. Hines said.
Elston also is accused of burglarizing two residential garages near the MeadowWood Golf Course. Both had been left open or unlocked.
“These were preventable crimes,” said Hines, who works out of the SCOPE University station at 15th and University. The detective encouraged citizens to keep their cars, garages and homes locked up.
He also encouraged people to report prowlings, thefts and burglaries, even when lost property is minimal and entry wasn’t forced. It helps police see the true extent of crime activity, he said, and keep track of problem areas.
, DataTimes