SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane man was arrested for stealing from a home while its owners were evacuated during recent fires, with video evidence and social media playing crucial roles in his arrest.
Lawrence Moss pleaded not guilty in court today on charges related to the break-in. According to court documents, Moss admitted to police that he stole a gun and guitar from the home and later sold them for drugs.
Timothy Stanley was paddle boarding with others when evacuation orders came down. Unable to return to his home on 5 Mile for six days, he had no idea someone had stolen anything until after he returned.
“That house is a duplex. And the owner sent me a video, on the first of a guy that was in the garage,” Stanley said. “We were paddle boarding at the time when everybody was evacuated. We couldn’t get back up, so I didn’t know that he’d actually gotten into my place until about six days after that video.”
The crime was captured on a Ring camera, which recorded footage of a man rifling through the garage. When Stanley discovered the theft, he learned the burglar had stolen several items, including a pistol that held deep personal significance.
“Well, the pistol especially, it was my dad’s and I lost him last year, and so it’s priceless to me,” Stanley said.
Stanley decided to post the Ring camera footage to Facebook and ask the community to help identify the suspect. What happened next surprised him.
“So I posted it, within 15 minutes, I knew exactly who the guy was and where he lived,” Stanley said. “His family and friends that had let me know who he was and where he was at. And so I turned everything over to the police department.”
The post spread rapidly across social media, reaching more than 330,000 views, and several people identifying the man as Moss. The identification led to a swift arrest. Police charged Moss with burglary, and he appeared in court today where he pleaded not guilty, despite admitting to the theft when arrested.
Stanley expressed frustration about the crime but praised the speed of the response.
“It sucks that there’s people like that that take advantage of other people during situations like that,” Stanley said. “But yeah, I was really surprised on how quick the arrest was and how quick the response was by posting it, and everything was pretty immediate.”
Despite the quick apprehension, the stolen items have not been recovered. The pistol, gun and guitar remain missing.
The Spokane Police Department reports that this burglary is one of several looting incidents that occurred during the evacuation. Police have made three additional arrests for trespassing on properties within the evacuation zones as residents fled the fires.
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