Knife incident in Liberty Lake leads to arrest

Liberty Lake police officers arrested a Liberty Lake woman last week after she allegedly assaulted a man and slashed his tires with a knife. Police were sent to the 25000 block of East Hawkstone Loop at 10 p.m. on April 23 on a report that a woman was chasing a man around with a knife in her hand.

The victim told police that the woman first came after him with a hammer and bit him on the chest after he took the hammer from her, Police Chief Brian Asmus said. The woman also allegedly carved words into the trunk and hood of the man’s car after she cut the tires, Asmus said.

Officers arrested Hope L. Darnell, 28, for felony second-degree domestic violence assault and second-degree domestic violence malicious mischief.

The number of suspicious person and suspicious vehicle calls coming into the police department continues to be up as residents appear to be taking more notice of who is in their neighborhood.

A resident called police at 3:30 p.m. on April 27 to report that a man was going door to door selling magazine subscriptions in the area of Valleyway and Mitchell. An officer contacted the man and told him that a permit was required to sell merchandise door to door in Liberty Lake, Asmus said, and the man was asked to leave.

Police received a call at 1:55 p.m. the next day in the Legacy Ridge area reporting people selling magazine subscriptions door to door. One of the men was the same person police spoke to the day before, Asmus said. Sgt. Clint Gibson called their supervisor and explained the permit requirement, he said.

“The Liberty Lake municipal code was explained to the boss and he was told not to come back to Liberty Lake until they received the proper licensing from the city,” Asmus said.

Both of the men contacted by officers in the second incident had criminal records, Asmus said.

Someone called police at 6:15 p.m. on April 23 in the 23100 block of Appleway Avenue to report a suspicious vehicle that had been parked in a parking lot for an hour and people were seen removing items from it and putting them in another car. An officer determined that the car had been stolen in Spokane at 3 a.m. that day, Asmus said. Stolen license plates had been placed on it and the car’s owner told police that several items were missing from inside.

A woman living in the 1500 block of North Madson Street called police on April 23 to report that she was involved in a divorce and had been getting harassing text messages from her stepson. She also had begun receiving phone calls and texts from people saying they were responding to her “casual encounters” ad on Craigslist, Asmus said. An investigation showed that the woman’s stepson placed the ad and police are recommending that harassment charges be filed, Asmus said.

A resident in the 1400 block of North Caufield Court reported to police on April 23 that she let someone in her house to use her telephone and then noticed that her prescription medications were missing.

On April 25, a disoriented man was found near Mission Avenue and Molter Road; he was taken to the hospital to be checked, Asmus said.

A woman reported to police Saturday that a checking account and several credit accounts had been opened in her name. The case is under investigation.

From April 23-30 there were four arrests for driving under the influence. Officers handed out two citations for illegal use of studded tires and three for speeding. Additional citations were given for speeding in a school zone and failure to wear a safety belt.