‘Inappropriate’ texts sent to Liberty Lake officer’s cell

A man who was unable to control his venting via text got some attention from the Liberty Lake Police Department during the week of Nov. 19 to 26. An investigation is now under way after the man texted the department’s duty officer cellphone, swearing and calling an officer stupid, said Police Chief Brian Asmus.

It began when someone in the 21000 block of Country Vista Drive called police Friday to report receiving text messages threatening to kill him and asking where a certain person was, Asmus said. The man receiving the texts told police he didn’t know the person the texter was looking for. An officer called the phone number of the texter and asked him to stop sending the messages. The man who answered hung up the phone without speaking and then started texting the officer “inappropriate” messages, Asmus said.

What looks like a crime without a purpose was reported in the 1600 block of Signal Road on Nov. 21. A man called police to report that when he went to his car after getting off work at 5 p.m. he discovered the window was broken out but nothing was missing. Police reviewed surveillance footage from the parking lot, which showed a dark-colored SUV driving up at 1:30 p.m. The passenger in the SUV reached out and broke the window before leaving the parking lot, Asmus said.

Someone called police at 7:45 a.m. Saturday to report that a plywood covering on a barn in Rocky Hill Park had been removed. Officers checked inside and found an empty case of beer, Asmus said. “We have had a temporary (surveillance) camera at Rocky Hill Park since October due to the issues of people entering the house and barn on the property,” Asmus said. The house has since been torn down but the historic barn remains. The video footage is being reviewed, Asmus said.

A resident of an apartment complex in the 22800 block of East Country Vista Drive called police at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 20 to report that his car had been stolen from the parking lot. The vehicle was found in the Albertsons parking lot at 12:30 p.m. that same day with four flat tires, Asmus said. The car’s speakers had been stolen.

A vehicle prowl was reported in the 24900 block of Hawkstone Loop on Nov. 21 and that same day a resident called to report that someone was trying to use her stolen checks. The woman’s bank called her to notify her that someone was trying to cash a check. The case is under investigation.

During the week officers made three arrests for driving with a suspended license. They also handed out two citations for license and plates required, two for failure to show proof of liability insurance, two for failure to stop at a stop sign, 11 for speeding and two for failure to wear a safety belt. An additional citation was given for texting while driving.