SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — An East Valley High School teacher was arrested for allegedly shooting at his ex-wife while she was driving.
According to court documents, Benjamin Hill was arrested and charged with first-degree assault for the alleged shooting. He was booked into the Spokane County Jail but ultimately posted a $100,000 bond and was released.
At approximately 7:30 a.m. on May 18, officers were called to a reported shooting near the area of 6th and Division in Spokane. A woman reported her car was shot but she wasn't injured.
The woman told officers she was driving to work when she heard a pop noise. The noise prompted her to pull into a parking garage on West 7th Avenue because she worried her tire popped. When she got out of the car, she found a bullet lodged in the side of her driver's side car door.
Documents state the woman told officers that this was not the first time her house or car had been shot at in recent months. She told police that her house had been shot at, her car had a flat tire on three separate occasions and her motorcycle recently had a flat tire.
The woman told police the tires were never slashed. In all but one incident, the person put a pebble on the valve stem and put the cap back on, which would let the air out slowly, according to court documents.
Police later received an anonymous call from someone who claimed to have witnessed the incident. The caller said they heard two shots and saw a "white male, heavy set" wearing a grey hoodie and blue latex gloves. The caller said they witnessed the man leave an apartment complex, walk toward the area of 6th and Division and later get into a dark colored four-door vehicle.
While interviewing the victim, officers learned she had recently gone through a contentious divorce with her ex-husband, later identified as Hill. She told police the two do not talk, but she recently spoke with him regarding his past due child support payments. Hill reportedly became angry and told her he is homeless, though the address on his drivers license shows an Airway Heights address.
The woman said she believed the shooting and the other previous incidents were done by Hill.
During the investigation, police asked the security advisor at the woman's workplace to review the security footage. During the review, officers saw footage from May 16 of a man entering the parking garage of the woman's work. The man was dressed in dark clothing and appeared to be looking for something. He was then seen approaching the victim's car before it was blocked by a dark colored truck.
The security supervisor was able to take several screenshots of the suspect, who police later determined matched Hill's description. This gave officers probable cause to arrest Hill and charge him with first-degree assault.
Hill was booked into the Spokane County Jail on May 18 but later bonded out.
KREM 2 reached out to the East Valley School District for comment on the incident but have not heard back. Hill's employment status has not been confirmed, but his photo and contact information has been removed from the East Valley High School website.
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