Teens arrested in auto burglary spree
POST FALLS - An 18-year-old Post Falls man, two Post Falls juvenile males and a Coeur d'Alene juvenile male were arrested on Wednesday in connection with a vehicle burglary and theft spree case. Eric James Gould was booked into Kootenai County jail and the three juveniles into the Juvenile Detention Center on seven counts of burglary and four counts of grand theft, all felonies.
POST FALLS - An 18-year-old Post Falls man, two Post Falls juvenile males and a Coeur d'Alene juvenile male were arrested on Wednesday in connection with a vehicle burglary and theft spree case.
Eric James Gould was booked into Kootenai County jail and the three juveniles into the Juvenile Detention Center on seven counts of burglary and four counts of grand theft, all felonies.
A female juvenile was questioned.
Three vehicles were allegedly stolen and seven others were broken into in central Post Falls between Shannon Lane and 12th Street on Monday night or early Tuesday, Post Falls Police Lt. Pat Knight said.
"Every vehicle entered was unlocked," Knight said.
The three vehicles were recovered with extensive damage and most of the stolen items, including a handgun, have been returned to the owners, Knight said.
A 2005 Honda Accord was pushed over a 300-foot embankment near Hauser.
"The suspects took us to the car on their way to the jail," Knight said.
The other vehicles were found at West Ridge Elementary and south of the river near Pleasantview Road.
"The term that came up during the investigation was 'car hopping,'" Knight said. "They stole them, took them on a joy ride, then ditched them."
Police received anonymous tips on who the suspects were.
"This is a classic example of the community working with the police department," he said. "We wouldn't have been able to solve this so quickly without them."
Some property hasn't been returned because the owners are not known, Knight said. Others may also not yet realize they had items stolen from their vehicles.
Anyone who is missing items from their vehicle may call Detective Scott Harmon at 773-3517.