Pair arrested on Liberty Lake theft

An observant homeowner helped Liberty Lake police arrest two people for vehicle prowling in the early morning hours of July 19. A resident in the 1400 block of North Samantha Road called police around 1:30 a.m. to report that a woman was inside his car, which was parked in front of his home. When the homeowner tried to confront her, she ran away, said police Chief Brian Asmus.

It was determined that a wallet was missing from the car and an officer began searching the area for the woman. Instead he spotted a car parked in the 2400 block of East Maxwell Avenue with no license plates with a man inside and called for assistance from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Asmus said. While the officer and deputy talked to the man in the car, they could see a woman’s purse and fingernail polish in the car. The man eventually admitted he was waiting for a woman to return to the car, Asmus said.

The man allegedly told police that the two do this all the time and that he drops her off and she walks neighborhoods prowling cars while he waits for her, Asmus said. A police K-9 was called in to track the woman, and the dog found her hiding in a window well in the 24100 block of East Maxwell, Asmus said.

Located in the window well with her were several stolen items, Asmus said, including a purse, car stereo, DVD player, cell phones and a camcorder. The property recovered was worth about $1,600, he said. Additional stolen items were found in the car after police obtained a search warrant to examine it.

Police arrested Amy M. Mcosker, 28, of Spokane Valley, on suspicion of felony theft and unlawful possession of a controlled substance (hydrocodone). Spokane resident Scott M. Hill, 52, was arrested on a charge of conspiracy to commit second-degree theft, also a felony.

The rest of the week from July 25 to Aug. 1 was quieter in Liberty Lake. There were reports of fireworks going off, identity theft and forgery, plus three arrests for driving with a suspended license. An officer assisted the Washington State Patrol with a driving under the influence arrest on Interstate 90 near Sullivan Road at 1 a.m. on July 25.

A man who stopped by Allsport on East Broadway Avenue on July 27 to fill out a credit application to buy a motorcycle apparently decided to do a little shoplifting instead. The business manager called police to report that he was watching the man wander the store while removing items from their packaging and putting them in his backpack, under his shirt and down his pants, Asmus said. The man was stopped in the parking lot with $260 in merchandise, Asmus said. The 55-year-old Spokane resident was arrested for theft and banned from coming back to the business.