LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. — Drivers in Liberty Lake may not even notice them, but there are several license plate readers across the city, and they recently helped police identify and arrest a man accused of attacking and strangling a woman.
The victim told police she parked at a trailhead near the Mackenzie Natural Area last Thursday on the south end of the lake. She saw only one car, an older white sedan. The man inside appeared to be listening to music.
She says the man followed her up the trail, grabbed her by the arms and forced her to the ground before wrapping his arms around her neck, choking her roughly for ten seconds
The victim told deputies she bit and scratched the suspect, and he eventually let go and ran away, speeding off in the white sedan.
The victim did not get the suspect's license plate, but a little camera did. It's located on a road used to get to and from the trail. There was only one white sedan that passed through around the time of the assault.
According to police, that car is registered to 24-year-old Ethan Cunningham. They found the vehicle parked in a Spokane Valley apartment complex, where they also found Cunningham.
In a search warrant obtained by KREM 2, detectives say they noticed fresh scratches on his arms when they arrested him.
Liberty Lake police say the Flock license plate readers continue to be a proven asset to public safety. The cameras can also alert officers anytime a stolen or wanted vehicle is detected in real time.
The technology has raised privacy concerns. The American Civil Liberties Union says flock is blanketing American cities with "dangerously powerful and unregulated license plate cameras." However, ACLU says they don't generally object to using them to check plates against lists of stolen cars or AMBER alerts, provided the plate readers are used fairly and subject to checks and balances.
Cunningham declined KREM 2's request for a jailhouse interview Tuesday night. He's charged with second-degree assault, strangulation.
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