Spokane County deputy fired for conduct during park incident
Former Spokane County sheriff's deputy Clay Hilton was fired Tuesday after being charged with assaulting a 63-year-old man in Spokane Valley's Terrace View Park last year.
The Yakima County Prosecutor's Office was asked to handle the investigation into Hilton's conduct the night in August 2023 when he encountered Kevin Hinton, a man who said he'd stopped his car at the park for some rest during a long road trip. Hilton told Hinton being in the park after dark was illegal. Hinton pointed out it was a civil infraction, not a criminal one, but agreed to leave.
Body camera footage showed Hilton quickly escalated the situation and struck Hinton multiple times with his fist. Hinton ended up with broken ribs, a punctured lung and a concussion.
The Yakima County probe led to felony assault charges against Hilton, and a misdemeanor charge of falsifying a police report.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said Hilton's conduct was "clearly outside of policy" and led to his termination. Hilton can appeal his firing, Nowels' office said.
Nowels also said the results of an internal investigation led him to believe other sheriff's department personnel, including supervisors, did not live up to the department's conduct standards during and after the August 2023 arrest.
Nowels said he "imposed discipline...at a level I believe is appropriate." He did not specify who was punished, or what the discipline entailed. Nowels said his measures also included policy change regarding how uses of force are documented and reviewed.
Last month, Hinton filed a civil suit against the Spokane County Sheriff's office and Hilton.
"Regarding Mr. Hinton's civil case, we will not comment further as the process continues, nor would it be appropriate for us to do so," Nowels' office said Tuesday.
North Idaho College to become part of a university district
The Coeur d’Alene City Council has voted to create a university district that encompasses North Idaho College and some of the adjacent neighborhood.
The idea was proposed by council members who want to protect the area from uses not compatible with education. The district does not include 10 privately-owned parcels.
Most of those who testified before the council Tuesday night, including NIC child development professor Kathleen Miller Green, supported the district.
“My plea for all of you is to really look at allowing NIC the maximum opportunity to expand in the ways that are going to be best for the students, to implement the strategic plan that we are in the process right now of crafting and allow those students, for years to come, the secure knowledge that the place that they’re going to go to school is going to be there for them," she said.
The council also welcomed a new mayor and council president. Woody McEvers was sworn in to replace Jim Hammond. Councilmembers then elected Dan English to serve as the council’s second-in-command.
Eastern Washington wheelchair racer wins medals at Paris Paralympics
A Tekoa, Washington, wheelchair athlete won her third medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris yesterday.
Susannah Scaroni finished third in the 1500-meter race in three minutes, 16 seconds. That was three-and-a-half seconds behind the gold medal winner, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner. But Scaroni’s time was more than two seconds faster than the Paralympic record she set on Monday.
Scaroni has already won silver and bronze medals in Paris. She finished second in the five thousand meter race on Friday and third at 800 meters on Sunday. She has one race to go, the marathon, on the final day of the meet Sunday morning.
This is Scaroni’s fourth Paralympic Games. She won gold and bronze three years ago in Tokyo. She is a six-time winner of the women’s wheelchair division at Bloomsday.
One other Paralympian with Inland Northwest ties has also won a medal in Paris. Jaleen Roberts, a sprinter who competed at Eastern Washington University, won silver in the long jump on Sunday.
Several athletes who train or have trained at ParaSport Spokane still have events upcoming during the final five days of competition.
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Reporting was contributed by Brandon Hollingsworth, Owen Henderson and Doug Nadvornick.