Submitted by Fox First at Ten on December 8th
Spokane Police Department Press Release:
Friday afternoon, SPD Corporal Kevin Keller arrested Kyle P. Murphy, 26, for breaking into several South Hill homes and stealing presents from under Christmas Trees. Murphy was booked into the Spokane County Jail. Officers have not located all of the stolen property yet.
Friday, Spokane Police received a call from an alert neighbor living in the 2800 block of S. Manito Blvd. Around 12:30pm, a man reported seeing a suspicious looking male "possibly casing houses". Cpl. Keller quickly responded to the area - just in time to see the suspect in the backyard of a residence. The back gate was open and Cpl. Keller found the back door glass broken out. Additional officers assisted Cpl. Keller in detaining Murphy as he came out the back door, carrying a pack full of goods.
The homeowner was able to identify the items as stolen from inside his home. Other items were unwrapped Christmas presents from recent area burglaries. Three other victims reported their homes had been broken into that morning on West 13th Avenue. Officers were able to match Murphy's footprints to the other burglaries.
Officers booked Murphy into the Spokane County Jail for Residential Burlgary. Murphy has an extensive burglary record locally and was just released from prison, where he was sentenced on a burglary conviction. In addition to the new burglary charge, Department of Corrections had a warrant for Murphy's arrest – for burglary. Detectives will continue the burglary investigations and Murphy may be facing additional charges.
As the holiday season approaches, we encourage neighborhoods to be ever diligent in reporting unusual and suspicious activity. Residents are reminded that while Spokane Police continues to target offenders in order to reduce crime and violence in our community, citizens can enhance their safety by taking a few extra precautions. Citizens are reminded to keep their doors and windows locked, valuables locked in a secure area, and notify neighbors if you will be out of town. Call police immediately if a crime has been committed.
