SPOKANE VALLEY – A man was arrested and booked into Spokane County Jail for being in possession of a stolen vehicle on May 23, 2023.
Just before 1:30 a.m. Spokane Valley Deputies responded to the report of a suspicious vehicle parked in the 18800 block of E. Broadway, behind RV’s Northwest. The caller stating a truck had been parked in the lot for over two hours, which was unusual according to the caller.
Deputies arrived and observed a man, later identified as 38-year-old Luke A. Russell, asleep in the driver’s seat. Deputies ran a check on the Wisconsin license plate, and results showed the vehicle was reported stolen from Soldier’s Grove, a town in Crawford County, Wisconsin.
Deputies blocked the vehicle to limit any chance of escape and placed stop sticks under the tire to prevent any attempt at escape according to reports.
Russell was cooperative and safely taken into custody after being advised of his rights according to a report from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Russell agreed to answer some questions, and began to explain the truck wasn’t stolen, claiming he borrowed it from a longtime friend with the intention of buying it.
According to the same report from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Russell admitted he had not been in contact with the victim in a couple of days and could not show any paperwork of a possible purchase or that he had permission to have the vehicle.
According to the stolen vehicle report from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the victim stated Russell arrived at the victim’s home a couple of weeks ago and needed a place to stay. The victim agreed but declined Russell’s requests to use the truck several times.
However, when the victim went out of town for a couple of days, he granted Russell limited use of the vehicle. When the victim returned home, he found his truck, Russell, and all of Russell’s belongings gone.
The victim told Wisconsin deputies Russell was not supposed to take the vehicle overnight and waited to report the truck as stolen until the next day when Russell failed to return the truck.
A Spokane Valley deputy noted Russell had traveled over 1,500 miles from the victim’s home in Wisconsin and was traveling to California by Russell’s own admission according to Spokane Sheriff’s Office reports.
Russell was advised he was under arrest and was booked into the Spokane County Jail for being in possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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