POST FALLS - There appears to be resolution in what is believed to be the first Salvation Army kettle theft in Kootenai County.

After allegedly stealing a kettle with donations from a bell ringer outside Super 1 Foods in Post Falls on Tuesday and two vehicles in just more than an hour, 24-year-old suspect Ezariah W. Lingafelter was arrested early Wednesday after a pursuit in Spokane.

Lingafelter was booked into jail for four felony and three misdemeanor charges in Spokane County. He is also the suspect in the Post Falls crimes, but wasn't charged with those on Wednesday because police are hoping to get more witnesses to identify him.

"We believe he's the prime suspect in our crimes, but we need to verify with more witnesses," said Post Falls Police Capt. Greg McLean, adding that one witness verified the suspect on Wednesday.

Police recovered the red kettle at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store on Seltice Way, where Lingafelter allegedly fled to change his clothes.

"The kettle still had the lock on it, so we're assuming all the money was recovered," McLean said. "It felt pretty full."

Kettles typically hold between $250 and $500 worth of donations.

"We're thankful that nobody got hurt," said Christy Markham, development director for Salvation Army Kroc Center. "Nothing in that kettle is worth your safety."

Markham said the theft caught the bell ringer off-guard.

"He turned to wish someone a merry Christmas, thought a person was putting a donation in the kettle and, the next thing he knew, the kettle was unclipped and the man took off," Markham said.

The bell ringer could not be reached for comment.

Markham said kettle donations have been down this year, so the theft dampened spirits.

"You wonder about the gentleman's situation, that he's so desperate to steal from the Salvation Army," she said. "There are so many resources and this was his way of getting help?"

Markham said the Salvation Army has had a presence in Kootenai County for at least 20 years and the kettle campaign expanded after the Kroc Center was built in Coeur d'Alene six years ago.

"These (kettle thefts) have happened on occasion around the nation, but not in our quaint little community," she said.

Another kettle was stolen at a Rosauers grocery store in Spokane on Saturday. That kettle has not been recovered. Police have not linked the same suspect to both cases, but an investigation continues.

In the Post Falls case, a silver 1998 Hyundai Elantra owned by an employee of Auto Credit was stolen around 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday from the car lot at 115 W. Seltice Way.

The employee started his car to warm it up before heading home and, when he returned to where it was parked, the car was gone. The employee spotted the car headed east on Seltice Way.

A few minutes later, the bell ringer told police that a man driving a car with the same description snatched his kettle and drove off.

A physical altercation took place as the bell ringer and a store patron reached through the car window and grabbed the suspect by the throat, but the driver escaped with the kettle, according to police.

The suspect then returned the car to Auto Credit, where he was confronted and chased by two employees.

"The suspect was bleeding from the mouth and nose and he had the kettle with him," said Neil Quaintance, Auto Credit manager.

The employees physically detained the suspect a short time, but he took off running again.

"The employees didn't want to get the suspect's blood all over them and they were worried that the man may not be in his right mind, or have a gun," Quaintance said. "The guy was pretty squirrely and told the employees to not call the cops."

The suspect ran to the donation tent at St. Vincent de Paul, where he started to change his clothes. Without a shirt on, the suspect ran away after being chased by the Auto Credit employees.

Police said the suspect barged into a woman's St. Vincent apartment nearby, but was chased from there as well.

Police set up a perimeter and used a K-9 unit to search for the suspect, but he was not found.

During the search, a stolen motor home from Spokane was located in the same area on Seventh Avenue. Lingafelter is believed to have lived in the vehicle for a few days.

"We received information that the man who had been living in it matched the description (of the auto and kettle theft suspect)," McLean said.

Another vehicle theft, a 1992 Jeep Cherokee, was reported at 5:42 p.m. in the same vicinity at the White House Grill by an employee of the restaurant. The employee told police he left his keys in the vehicle.

On Thursday around 1:25 a.m., a Spokane Valley Sheriff's Office deputy located the Jeep at a gas station in the area of Thor and Third in Spokane.

When Lingafelter saw the deputy, he drove off, heading the wrong way on Third, according to the SVSO.

"Lingafelter turned into the Fred Meyer parking lot and began to drive in circles," an SVSO press release states.

The deputy attempted to stop Lingafelter, but he turned the wrong way onto Thor and headed north.

Lingafelter turned into a dirt lot in the 4600 block of East Fourth and stopped the vehicle.

With a K-9 at his side, the deputy told Lingafelter to exit the vehicle, but he refused, according to the SCSO.

"Lingafelter opened the door of the vehicle, but did not follow any of the commands and began reaching into his pockets," the SCSO press release states. "With Lingafelter's continued refusal to follow any commands and not knowing if he was armed, (the deputy) deployed (the K-9)."

Lingafelter allegedly continued to refuse to follow commands, even with the grip of the K-9, so deputies pulled him from the vehicle to arrest him.

A large amount of cash and a glass pipe containing methamphetamine were found in Lingafelter's pants pockets. During a search of the vehicle, two pill bottles were found on the driver's seat. Some of the pills inside the bottles were identified as Clonazepam, a controlled drug.

Lingafelter was wearing clothes with Goodwill tags still attached.

Lingafelter was booked into the Spokane County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle and drugs, eluding, resisting arrest, obstructing and driving with a suspended driver's license.