Thieves leave loot from one theft at their next crime scene
Liberty Lake Police officers have been looking into two clusters of thefts reported last week in which at least some of the stolen property was left at the next crime scene.
Three vehicle prowls were reported in the 24000 block of East Desmet Avenue on the morning of March 17. All three vehicles had been left unlocked, said Police Chief Brian Asmus. A briefcase full of tax preparation information stolen from one vehicle was found apparently untouched in the back of a pickup truck that was also prowled.
It appears that the thieves weren’t the type to be interested in personal information that could be used to steal someone’s identity, Asmus said. “That’s a good thing,” he said. “It’s likely they were looking for things that could be sold, pawned or otherwise traded.”
Several USB cords and an iPad keyboard were missing from the vehicle that had the briefcase in it, but nothing was reported missing from the other two vehicles.
On March 20 someone gained access to a tenant storage building in the 25000 block of East Hawkstone Loop. The individual storage units in the building are made of chain-link fence with an open top, similar to a dog kennel in an animal pound, Asmus said. Once someone gained access to the building the stored items were easily accessible, Asmus said.
One tenant reported more than $1,200 worth of items missing, another lost items valued at $1,500. A baby jogger was stolen from a third storage unit.
Other calls from March 16 to 23:
March 16: A man was reported slumped over the wheel in a car parked in the 22000 block of East Country Vista Drive. When an officer arrived and asked the driver if there were any drugs in the car, the man reportedly held up a cookie box with more than 140 grams of marijuana inside. The driver claimed that the marijuana wasn’t his, however. The drug was confiscated because it was over the amount legally allowed.
March 18: A hit-and-run accident was reported in a parking lot in the 1300 block of North Liberty Lake Road. A woman in the 22000 block of East County Vista Drive reported that someone had stolen some of her belongings and urinated on her carpet.
March 19: A no contact order violation was reported in the 1300 block of North Eagle Road. The incident, which occurred via email and text message, is under investigation.
March 20: An intoxicated person was reported in the 1300 block of North Liberty Lake Road. No one could be located when officers arrived.
March 21: Someone reported seeing people climbing in and out of cars at a car dealership in the 21000 block of East George Gee Avenue shortly after 8:30 p.m. No one could be located when officers arrived.
Arrests: Police made four arrests for driving with a suspended license.
Citations: officers handed out four citations for failure to show proof of liability insurance. Additional citations were given for expired vehicle registration, driving without a license with identification and use of a cellphone.