Yakima Co. Prosecutor to determine whether charges are warranted in excessive force case against Spokane Co. Sheriff's sergeant

YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. -- The Yakima County Prosecutor's Office has agreed to take up a case involving a Spokane County Sheriff's Office sergeant accused of excessive force.

Deputy Sgt. Clay Hilton encountered Kevin Hinton sitting in a car alone at a park in August 2023. According to a police report, the two had a back-and-forth, and Sgt. Hilton tried to pull Hinton out of the car, causing his shirt to rip. The report alleges that Hinton tried to resist being detained, and Sgt. Hilton punched him in the face.

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Hinton ended up in the hospital with several broken ribs, a punctured lung, and several cuts and bruises.

The Spokane Police Department (SPD) was tasked with investigating allegations of excessive force against Sgt. Hilton, who lived across the street from the park where the incident happened. In February 2024, the department recommended second-degree assault charges against Hilton.

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Following SPD's recommendation, it was up to the Spokane County prosecutor on whether to pursue the charges.

Yakima County Prosecutor Joseph Brusic said in a statement to KXLY Tuesday:

"We are in the very active process of reviewing the extensive discovery provided to our office.  With that review comes an analysis of what we have and what we may need to make a charging decision.  We will make that decision as soon as reasonably possible after our due diligence."

Brusic indicated that it could take several weeks before arriving at a decision of whether or not charges should be filed against Sgt. Hilton.

KXLY contacted Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell for comment on moving the case to Yakima County. Attorneys representing Kevin Hinton, Maurer Law and Note & Kidd, said their requests for public disclosure had not been filled as of Tuesday morning.

MORE: WARNING GRAPHIC: Raw body-cam footage from Kevin Hinton arrest

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