SPOKANE, Wash. — The Yakima County Prosecutors Office confirmed to KREM 2 it is recommending charges against a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy accused of beating a man to a point where he had to be hospitalized for days after.
Prosecutors say they are recommending second-degree assault charges with the aggravator of egregious lack of remorse as well as false swearing charges against Clay Hilton.
Hilton is expected to be arraigned on September 25, 2024.
Yakima prosecutors took over the investigation for Spokane to ensure transparency. Charges would be filed in Spokane County.
"With this new information, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is finalizing the internal investigation into this incident," said the Spokane County Sheriff's Office in a statement on Monday.
Sixty-two-year-old Kevin Hinton had pulled over at Terrace View Park in Spokane Valley on August 14, 2023 when he says he was confronted by Sergeant Clay Hilton.
When Hinton wouldn't hand over his ID, the situation escalated and his attorney said Hilton beat him to the point where he suffered eight broken ribs, a punctured lung and a concussion.
Spokane Police later investigated the incident and found there was probable cause to charge the sergeant with assault.
In a separate federal lawsuit filed last week, Hinton accuses them of several things, including excessive force, deliberate indifference and negligence.
The lawsuit claims that Hilton "lacked reasonable suspicion" to seize Hinton, and Hinton was not committing a crime or civil infraction when he was seized. The lawsuit also claims that Hilton lacked probable cause to arrest Hinton.
The claim further states in part that the sheriff's office "rubber-stamped their approval of an officer's use of force despite clear evidence to the contrary."