Latest news with #SpokaneValleyPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police suspect homicide after man found dead in RV in Spokane Valley
May 8—Spokane Valley police detectives are investigating the death of a man found inside a parked RV Tuesday as a homicide. Deputies responded about noon to a suspicious circumstance call in the 6500 block of East Broadway Avenue after the caller reported finding a man dead inside the vehicle in a parking lot, according to a Spokane Valley Police Department news release. Investigators believe the victim and the 1988 Winnebago RV arrived sometime Sunday on Broadway Avenue, between North Dyer Road and Interstate 90, the release said. They believe the victim and RV may have been in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area for several months. Detectives are asking for the public's help in providing information about the RV and anyone associated with it from Sunday to Tuesday while it was in the area of Broadway and I-90. They also asked for the public to provide other locations the RV was parked from last month to Sunday. Call Det. Marc Melville at (509) 477-3325 and reference incident No. 10060432 with tips. The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office will release the name of the victim and his cause and manner of death.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man sues Spokane Valley after being pulled from car, hogtied following mix-up
Apr. 18—A 35-year-old Black man who was pulled out of his car and forced to the parking lot pavement of his Spokane Valley residence before being hogtied and taken to jail is suing the deputy who arrested him and the city. The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Washington claims Spokane Valley Deputy Samuel Turner violated Joshua Clark's constitutional rights the morning of Oct. 1, 2023, outside HometTowne Studios apartment complex, 12803 E. Sprague Ave. The city of Spokane Valley, Spokane Valley Police Department and Spokane Valley Police Chief Dave Ellis are the other listed defendants in the complaint. Turner "unlawfully detained and arrested" Clark "without reasonable suspicion or probable cause," according to the complaint. Turner also pulled open Clark's door upon contacting him without legal justification, and then used "violent, excessive force" that caused permanent injuries on Clark, the suit alleges. "I filed it obviously because I believe wholeheartedly we have egregious violation of my client's constitutional rights and ultimately the county didn't take responsibility for it in a manner myself or client thought was appropriate," attorney Joshua Maurer told The Spokesman-Review Friday. Spokane County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Mark Gregory, spokesman for the department, said he could not comment on the pending litigation. Spokane Valley police contracts with the sheriff's office. As of Thursday, the sheriff's office had not received the lawsuit, Gregory said. Maurer said the lawsuit would be served Friday or in the next couple of days. The incident Turner wrote in a probable cause affidavit that he was patrolling the area of HomeTowne Studios that day at the request of the owners because of increased criminal activity there, including trespassing, unlawful camping, drug use, assaults, thefts, prostitution and stolen vehicles. Turner saw a silver Dodge Nitro parked in the lot with the engine running and a man inside, the affidavit says. A registration check of the license plate revealed four prior trespassing calls at HomeTowne. Willie Burns, who had a felony warrant, was one of the people involved in those calls, and his description matched Clark's, Turner wrote. Turner did not know Clark's name at the time and later learned Clark was not the man he was looking for. It's unclear why the car Clark was in was associated with a trespassing call centered on someone else. The lawsuit says Turner's actions were "tethered together by threads of racism," as the only similar characteristic between Clark and Burns was they were both Black. "Furthermore, the entire basis for Officer Turner's detention of Joshua Clark was his status as a Black man," the lawsuit says. Turner wrote in the affidavit he conducted a "suspicious vehicle" stop on the Dodge for trespassing and the potential warrant, according to the affidavit. Body camera footage shows Turner exiting his patrol car, walking to the driver's side of Clark's vehicle and opening the car door. Turner wrote that he saw Clark look up at him and motion like he was going to lock the door. Turner opened Clark's door to prevent Clark from getting away and to see inside the car. Clark did not try to lock his doors or try to "avoid apprehension," the complaint alleges. Maurer said his client was minding his own business smoking a cigarette. "Officer Turner initiated his contact with Mr. Clark by engaging in an unconstitutional search of his vehicle when he aggressively opened his car door," according to the lawsuit. After greeting Clark, Turner asked if the driver's name was "Willie," to which, Clark replied, "No," the footage shows. Turner said there's a man by that name associated with the vehicle Clark was sitting in and who is trespassed from the property. Turner asked for Clark's identification and Clark refused, saying there wasn't a reason for the deputy to look at it. Clark said he wasn't trespassing and then told Turner his first name, "Josh." He denied providing his last name after Turner asked for it. He told Clark to hop out of the car and then grabbed Clark's arm, pulling him out of the car, the body cam footage shows. Turner wrote in the affidavit that Clark did not have to identify himself, but he was not free to leave and told him to step out of the car. Clark moved to close the door and place the vehicle in gear, Turner wrote, so he grabbed Clark and tried to remove him from the car. The body cam footage showed Clark grabbing the steering wheel with his right hand, but it was unclear if he did anything with his left hand, which was closest to the door. "It was unsafe to allow the defendant to remain in the running vehicle," Turner wrote. "He nor the vehicle had been risked for weapons and there was ample room should the defendant place the vehicle in gear to drive onto the sidewalk or back into the patrol vehicle." Turner physically engaged Clark about 40 seconds after Turner opened the car door. "You don't de-escalate this situation in any way, shape or form," Maurer told The Spokesman-Review of the video. "And you're the one that in fact escalates everything." Turner ordered Clark out of the car and said he was under arrest. He told Clark to "stop fighting," the footage shows. "I'm not fighting," Clark said. Turner tries to handcuff Clark and then alleges Clark grabbed his neck. "You're gonna get hit," Turner yells. "I haven't done anything," said Clark, who screamed during the struggle on the pavement. Turner wrote that Clark wrapped his arm around his neck, placing Turner in a chokehold. "He defeated the choke hold and delivered one hammer fist strike to the back of the defendant's head to prevent further assault," Turner wrote. Maurer disputed the chokehold claim. Turner cuffs Clark's hands behind his back and again tells him to "stop fighting," the footage shows. One of Clark's shoes is off on the ground and the other is hanging onto his foot. A bystander says something, to which Turner replies, "He didn't want to be arrested is all." "For what?" Clark asks. The bystander says Clark lives at the complex and asks what the problem was. "I'm conducting an investigation, all right?" Turner says. "And he decided he wanted to fight with me, so." "I haven't fought anybody," Clark says. "I was trying to ask you a few questions, officer." Clark then asks for Turner's name and supervisor. Turner tells Clark he is being arrested for third-degree assault and takes him to his patrol car. Turner wrote in the affidavit that Clark banged his own head off the patrol vehicle and kicked his legs up so he couldn't be searched, so Turner took him to the ground. "I'm trying to stand you up and you're still fighting me," Turner says in the footage, calling him a profane name. Clark countered that he was trying to ask Turner a question. Sirens are heard, and two more deputies arrive on scene. A deputy applies leg restraints on Clark. He was only charged with assault, which a Spokane County Superior Court judge dismissed at the request of the prosecution about five months after the incident, according to court documents. Meanwhile, the footage shows deputies tying his hands and legs together and hoisting him into the back of Turner's patrol car as Clark screamed. "They hogtied him and shoved him into the back of the car like he was a significant threat to their safety," Maurer said. Turner tells a medic Clark didn't complain of any injuries and there was no sign of injuries, according to the footage. Turner gets into his car about 15 minutes after contacting Clark and took him to jail. The aftermath Clark protested his arrest, but never assaulted Turner beyond trying to protect himself from Turner's assault, the complaint says. Instead, Turner exhibited "overly aggressive and unreasonable conduct." Maurer said the report does not match the video evidence. "It's just absolutely shocking how inaccurate that report is," Maurer said. "... That's really scary to me, because this whole contact starts with inappropriate, aggressive over-the-top contact." He said his client will never feel comfortable with law enforcement again. "We have yet another case of an innocent victim here being wholly traumatized and completely dehumanized," Maurer said. The complaint is seeking punitive damages and attorney fees. Timothy Note is also representing Clark. Turner has been involved in two fatal shootings as a deputy, according to previous Spokesman-Review reporting. In 2018, he shot and killed 54-year-old suspected kidnapper Richard Bahr after prosecutors say Bahr rammed Turner's patrol car. Last year, Turner and two other deputies shot and killed 43-year-old Donald Hegel after a Deer Park standoff. Turner was not charged in either shooting. Turner is also named in a complaint filed last year in the Eastern District of Washington that alleges he rammed the plaintiff's vehicle at a traffic stop and then pepper sprayed the man. Turner has been featured in a Spokesman-Review story after he successfully revived a 2-year-old girl who had fallen into a backyard pond and was not breathing. Turner was also featured on the A&E television show Live PD.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed Spokane Valley sales tax to boost police moves a step closer to voters
Apr. 2—The Spokane Valley City Council Tuesday overwhelmingly shared a desire to let residents decide if they want to pay higher sales tax to support more police. But the members of the public who spoke at Tuesday's meeting shared a wide range of reasons they support, and oppose, the effort to place a .01% sales tax measure on the ballot this fall to secure funding for an increase in the city's law enforcement. Spokane Valley has long been considered a conservative stronghold, electing predominantly Republican or Republican-backed candidates to the city council and the state Legislature since the mid-1990s. City leadership has taken the fiscal and law enforcement aspects of the ideology to heart, highlighted by the council's 16-year-streak of voting against property tax increases and its ongoing efforts to bolster the Spokane Valley Police Department. Those values have come head-to-head as the city enters phase two of its bid to hire more deputies dedicated to Spokane Valley. They'd like to hire four patrol deputies, a behavioral health deputy, a school resource officer and a sexual assault detective that would split time with the sheriff's office, but need to secure a funding source. The council held a public hearing Tuesday on the plan for a funding source: a .01% sales tax within city limits that would generate an estimated $2.6 million annually. The city council voted 6-1 to advance an ordinance that would put the measure on the ballot for the August 5 primary election, but a final call on whether the question will be put to the voters won't be made until April 15. If approved, the measure would increase the city's sales tax to 9% as of January 1, 2026, and the revenue generated would be dedicated to costs associated with providing public safety services, including "adding new police officers; paying public safety operations, maintenance and capital; providing for law enforcement staffing and retention," according to the current draft of the measure. State law does allow for a portion of the proceeds to go to other city costs, which is noted in the draft. Noticeably missing from the current iteration of the proposition is a sunset date for the tax. Councilman Al Merkel appeared to take issue with the omission of an end date and said he believes the city should find other ways to cover the costs, like cutting other services, before putting it to the voters to decide. He is supportive of the efforts to bolster dedicated police staffing by 25 deputies called for in a consultant's 2023 analysis but believes those additions should be funded in their entirety first, then the city can find necessary cuts in the budgeting process. "Policing is the one critical service that the city provides, and we should fully fund it with the revenues that we have now and then come to the citizens if we need revenues for like-to-haves, instead of needs," Merkel said. Merkel's peers expressed a desire to have voters decide if they would be willing to foot the bill for additional law enforcement positions. Councilman Ben Wick said he opposes additional cuts to city services and highlighted the limited options to secure funding necessary to boost police staffing. The council redirected funding from streets, city staffing and parks projects to hire 10 new dedicated deputies last year, and could look to end the city's pool and swim programs, parks maintenance and economic development efforts to fund the next round of officers if the measure does not pass, said Deputy City Manager Erik Lamb. Other options to secure the funding would include property or utility tax increases, or additional business license fees, according to a city staff report. "There are a number of other priorities that we're trying to accomplish for the city; economic development, for instance, helps all of our other jurisdictions," Wick said. "The property taxes for the library, fire: all of those are done and increased because of our economic development." Mayor Pam Haley echoed Wick's sentiment, highlighting that the city's aquatics program helps save lives, and that she does not want to be forced to make cuts to it. Members of the public who testified at the meeting in opposition to the measure were disgruntled with paying additional taxes in the city, while others cited concerns that additional police staffing would not address the city's public safety needs. Those in the former crowd said they'd like to see the city find additional cost cutting measures, while those in the latter shared a desire to see investments addressing underlying contributors to criminal behavior, like a lack of housing, jobs and social services. Pat Dempsey, vice chair of the citizen's advisory board at the sheriff's office, was one of few who testified in support of the measure. She said she also would like investments made in regional services for homeless people and those struggling with addiction, which is why she appreciates that one of the proposed deputy positions would be paired with a social worker. "This is a way that we help support our homeless, which is one of our biggest issues in this county, in the city, is to help bring the support to the actual people that are homeless," Dempsey said. "These combinations of social workers and deputies together are doing a great job." Councilman Rod Higgins reiterated for the public and his peers that Tuesday's vote only advanced the proposal to a second reading next week as the board continues to mull it over. "Let's not get ahead of our skis here," Higgins said.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
1-year-old reportedly overdoses on mother's fentanyl
Mar. 6—A 35-year-old woman was arrested after her 1-year-old son reportedly overdosed on fentanyl Wednesday morning, according to a Spokane Valley Police Department news release. Samantha J. Anderson was booked into the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor. The boy was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover, police said. Deputies and firefighters responded at about 9:30 a.m. to the 11200 block of East 10th Avenue to a reported overdose, according to the release. The boy's aunt told 911 the child was turning blue and was believed to have come in contact with fentanyl. She reported two doses of Narcan had been administered, but the child was still unresponsive. Deputies arrived and found the child breathing and crying. Firefighters then took over medical care. Anderson told deputies she smoked fentanyl the night before, and afterward, placed the used foil in her purse and returned home. On Wednesday, while in the kitchen, she saw her son playing in the living room where her purse was, the release said. She thought he was sucking on something and believed it was his thumb. A few minutes later, she noticed her son was not moving or responding to her, and she could see he was turning blue. She said he was not breathing and that she found the foil used to smoke fentanyl lying on the floor next to him. She gave her son two doses of Narcan, started CPR and called for her sister to help. The child's aunt came upstairs, called 911 and started CPR with instructions from a 911 communications officer. Soon after, her nephew started to cry and breathe on his own as deputies arrived. Deputies notified the victim's father and Child Protective Services of the incident, police said.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
52-year-old man arrested for drawing swastikas at Spokane Valley park, police say
Mar. 5—A 52-year-old man is accused of drawing swastikas on bathrooms at a Spokane Valley park and signs in the area. Douglas R. Frome was booked Tuesday into the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of felony second-degree malicious mischief, according to a Spokane Valley Police Department news release. A city employee reported Friday that someone vandalized the bathrooms at the newly renovated Balfour Park as well as some signs in the area with symbols that included swastikas and what appeared to be the Star of David, police said. The employee estimated the repair and repainting of the damage to cost $800. A detective reviewed the park's security footage that captured the suspect, identified as Frome, the release said. The security cameras were installed in the last year as part of the city's park expansion. Detectives located Frome Tuesday near Sprague Avenue and Skipworth Road and contacted him a short distance away, according to police. Frome allegedly admitted to drawing the swastikas and stars around the Spokane Valley Public Library and Balfour Park using a dry-erase marker. Part of Frome's interview with police included an expletive-filled rant, claiming the graffiti was his "freedom of speech," the release said. Frome remained in jail Wednesday afternoon and is scheduled for an arraignment March 19.
