Liberty Lake burglary suspect booked

A man was arrested early Friday morning after being accused of burglarizing several Liberty Lake homes.

The 26-year-old Curlew man, Cole K. Strandberg, was seen by Liberty Lake Police officer Mike Thomas, who was checking on a suspicious person report at 1400 N. MeadowWood Lane. Thomas took note of Strandberg’s appearance, and noticed he was armed with a knife, said Spokane County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.

A few hours later, at 11:25 p.m., someone living in the 600 block of South Liberty Lake Road said he caught a burglar – armed with a knife – in his garage. The man dropped the knife after the homeowner confronted him with a gun, Reagan said.

The man dropped some clothing, as well as the knife, and ran away.

About 5 a.m., Thomas was answering another suspicious person complaint when he came upon Strandberg, Reagan said. A deputy brought the homeowner from in the previous burglary attempt to see Strandberg and the homeowner recognized the man, who still had an empty knife sheath.

Strandberg was taken to the Spokane County Jail and was booked on a felony count of first-degree burglary.

Man charged in robbery

Members of the SWAT team descended on an East Spokane home early Thursday and arrested the man who police say robbed a Spokane Valley sandwich store a few weeks ago.

The man, Calvin C. Erickson, is accused of robbing a Subway sandwich shop at Sprague and McKinnon about 7:30 p.m. last Sunday, said Spokane Valley Police spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan. Employees at the store said the man paced around the parking lot for about 20 minutes before he entered the business and took cash at gunpoint.

Detectives working on the case received a Secret Witness tip from an anonymous informant who said Erickson had bragged about the robbery, Reagan said.

Erickson lives in a privately run halfway house for former convicts at 3916 E. Ninth Ave. Detectives went to the home at 6:30 a.m. last Thursday. They used a flash grenade to disorient the man, who officers believed could have been armed, Reagan said.

Erickson was booked into the Spokane County Jail on a charge of first-degree robbery. Detectives working with Erickson also learned he is being investigated in connection with an armed robbery at the Altamont Pharmacy at 928 S. Perry St., Wednesday afternoon, Reagan said.

In that crime, an armed man wearing a bandanna stole drugs at gunpoint about 4:30 p.m. A Spokane Police detective is working on that case, Reagan said.

River floaters ticketed

Last week’s warm temperatures got two men in some hot water after they floated the Spokane River without wearing personal flotation devices.

The men each received a $76 ticket, said Spokane County Sherriff’s spokesman Reagan. Deputies have a zero tolerance policy on water users who don’t wear lifejackets, he said. All floaters, boaters, rafters and canoeists must wear approved personal flotation devices.

Marine deputies patrol many areas of the Spokane River, and with high spring runoff, they’ll be out in full force, Reagan said.