SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Officers have arrested a man found in a reported stolen truck out of Wisconsin in a Spokane Valley neighborhood.
Deputies with the Spokane Valley Police Department were called to the 18800 block of E. Broadway early Tuesday morning to check on a suspicious truck that had been parked there for two hours. When officers arrived, they found a man, later identified as 38-year-old Luke A. Russell, asleep in the driver’s seat.
When deputies checked the license plate, they found the truck was reported stolen in Crawford County, Wisconsin. Following a short investigation and review of the original report, officers arrested Russell for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and he was taken to jail.
Before the arrest, deputies blocked the truck and put stop sticks under the tires to keep Russell from driving away.
When officers arrested Russell, he was cooperative and was arrested without incident. During an interview, Russell told officers he had borrowed the truck from a longtime friend and intended to buy it once he got a job.
Russell told officers he hadn't been in contact with the owner of the truck in the last several days and couldn't show any paperwork of proof he had purchased the truck or had permission to have it.
According to a report provided by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the owner of the car reported Russell arrived at his home a couple of weeks ago and needed a place to stay. He allowed Russell to stay at his place but declined Russell’s requests to use the truck several times.
However, when the truck's owner went out of town for a couple of days, he gave Russell limited permission to use the truck if needed. When the owner returned home, he couldn't find his truck and noticed Russell and all of Russell’s belongings were gone.
The owner told officers he never gave Russell permission to take the truck overnight. He said he waited until the next day to report the truck as stolen when Russell didn't return back home.
A deputy noted Russell had traveled over 1,520 miles from the victim’s home and was traveling to California by Russell’s own admission. After the arrest, Russell was booked into the Spokane County Jail for possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
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