Empty home damaged

COEUR d'ALENE - Someone who broke into a house recently caused an estimated $20,000 in damage at a vacant home in Coeur d'Alene, according to a police report.

The damage at 1219 W. Brentwood Loop was reported Monday morning, police said. Jonathan Wilson, an employee of LP Link & Associates, Inc., discovered extensive water damage throughout the house when he arrived to check the property.

Wilson told police he found water spraying from the shower in an upstairs bathroom. A downstairs ceiling was partially collapsed and paint on walls was bubbled from water damage. The carpeting on the stairs was saturated.

Wilson told police he used the master water cutoff to stop the spray, the report said. He said he realized the water leak was coming from the handle area, which appeared to have been broken.

According to the police report, a sliding door at the rear of the house and two windows were open.

The damage to the drywall, carpeting and pane repair or replacement totaled $20,000, the report said.

Police walked through the house and discovered a piece of 4 x 4 wood which had not previously been there, the report said.

Wilson's job is to check the LP Link & Associates properties once per week, police said. He was last at 1219 W. Brentwood on Dec. 5. At that time, Wilson told police, the doors and windows had been secure, the heat was set and the property was undamaged.

The property's owner reported that over a year ago he had evicted an occupant for non-payment. That occupant had damaged the home, using bleach on the carpets.

He said he had learned the former occupant had returned to Coeur d'Alene recently and he believed the former occupant still has keys to the property, police said.