SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – Spokane Valley deputies arrested a suspect involved in a theft at a local business, thanks to the collaboration of a local recycler and Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology.
Deputies said that they responded to a call on Friday at a business on North Argonne Road. The victim reported that between Thursday and Friday, someone damaged the exterior air conditioner and stole its parts, causing over $7,000 in damage.
Deputies said that they identified the suspect as 37-year-old Joshua Myers. Myers reportedly arrived in a cream-colored Cadillac and removed the air conditioner parts.
Deputies said that they contacted a local recycler who confirmed that Myers had scrapped similar parts and provided his information. The recycler’s cooperation was crucial in identifying Myers.
The deputies said that they entered the Cadillac’s license plate into the ALPR system. On Saturday, an ALPR Alert indicated the Cadillac was traveling on North Argonne Road. Deputies went to Myers’s last known address, where he arrived shortly after.
Myers was arrested and initially denied the theft but later admitted to stealing the parts, selling them, and cashing the check. He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on charges of Malicious Mischief 1st Degree and Trafficking Stolen Property 1st Degree.
Myers’s bond was set at $2,500.
