UPDATE: Internal Investigation Completed, Findings Sustained 
 and Employment Terminated 

Today, September 3, 2024, Sheriff Nowels met with Clay V. Hilton and his representatives to address Mr. Hilton’s conduct and alleged policy violations during the August 14, 2023 incident.

This follows the Yakima County Prosecutor’s Office’s announcement on August 26, 2024, that they intended to file felony and misdemeanor charges against Mr. Hilton for his actions that night.  

The Sheriff’s Office finalized the internal investigation and forwarded it to Sheriff Nowels for review.  

Sheriff Nowels determined Mr. Hilton’s conduct was clearly outside of policy and led to charges filed by the Yakima County Prosecutor’s Office.  Therefore, Sheriff Nowels terminated Mr. Hilton’s employment with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.  Mr. Hilton has the right to appeal the Sheriff’s decision and defend himself against the criminal charges he is facing.  

In addition, Sheriff Nowels said, “After reviewing the internal investigation, I believe it clearly showed some members of the Sheriff’s Office, including supervisors, did not live up to the standards of conduct of the Sheriff’s Office during and after this incident.  I imposed discipline on those members at a level I believe is appropriate, including the significant step of terminating Mr. Hilton’s employment.  Additionally, I have made changes to policy, ensuring we appropriately document and review all uses of force.”  

As this case continues through the criminal court proceedings, we will not comment further as it would be inappropriate and disrespectful to the court process.   

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.  As in the criminal case, we respect the right to a fair trial.  We do not want to undermine the proceedings or its fairness, nor will we seek to try it in public.

“I assure the citizens of Spokane County that we will continue to strive for excellence in our policing and hold ourselves to the high standards they expect.  We will also hold accountable those who violate the public’s trust and confidence placed in us as law enforcement professionals,” said Sheriff Nowels.   

We are grateful for your patience during this lengthy process, which allowed for an independent and thorough investigation to be completed and an independent review by the Yakima County Prosecutor’s Office, which led to today’s findings and outcomes.    

This Spokane County Sheriff Office news article "UPDATE: Internal Investigation Completed, Findings Sustained and Employment Terminated" was originally found on https://www.spokanecounty.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=7