Copper pipe, wire removed from Liberty Lake home

Things were a little calmer for the Liberty Lake Police Department the week of Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, but the old standbys of copper theft and car prowls popped up.

A contractor called police Sept. 28 to report the theft of copper from a house under construction in the 20000 block of East Indiana Avenue. The wiring was removed from the walls and copper pipes were cut in an effort to remove them, said Police Chief Brian Asmus. The walls were also damaged by water from the cut pipes.

Another theft was reported in the 1700 block of North Madson Street, an area that has had issues with repeated thefts and vehicle prowls in recent weeks. A woman reported Sept. 27 that her Apple iPhone was missing.

A resident called police Sept. 26 to report that someone was using her debit card number to make online purchases. Trespassers riding ATVs were reported in Legacy Ridge the evening of Sept. 26. Officers located the ATV riders and warned them, Asmus said.

Officers arrested a 55-year-old Coeur d’Alene man on Sept. 27. Employees at the Albertsons pharmacy called police to report that the man had dropped off a prescription that may have been fake. Officers were eventually able to determine that the man had used false information to get the prescription, Asmus said. He was arrested for prescription fraud and possession of a controlled substance.

The Drug Enforcement Agency was notified of the arrest and said the man is suspected of committing the same crime in several other states, Asmus said.

An employee at the Chevron station called police at 7:45 a.m. Sunday to report that there was a 9-year-old boy in the business carrying a backpack and there didn’t seem to be an adult with him. An officer spoke to the boy, who said he had run away from his Spokane Valley home, Asmus said. The boy was taken home.

During the week officers made four arrests for driving with a suspended license. They handed out three citations for expired registration, two for failure to show proof of liability insurance, eight for speeding and two for use of a cellphone. Additional citations were given for driving without a license with identification, passing in a no-passing zone and speeding in a school zone.