Kevin Hinton, exhausted after a protracted road-trip to see his new child granddaughter, pulled over right into a parking zone to seize a late-night nap. A Spokane County Sheriff’s Workplace Sgt., Clay Hilton, woke him up and, when Hinton refused to inform him his identify, beat Hinton so severely that jailers refused to guide him and had him taken to hospital as an alternative.
“Why did you hit me?” Hinton asks through the beating, which was captured on bodycam. Deputy Hilton responded: “Since you weren’t listening.”
Police beneficial prices in opposition to [the driver] Hinton for resisting arrest and obstructing a legislation enforcement officer. When Be aware introduced video of Hinton’s encounter to the eye of prosecutors, they promptly dropped the case.
Hilton, the deputy, is 50 and was positioned on depart in late September as soon as Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels was notified of the encounter by the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Workplace, in response to a information launch from the sheriff’s workplace despatched Friday afternoon following requests for remark from native media retailers.
The cop, Hilton, claimed he may scent marijuana in his report, however none was present in Hinton’s automobile. Moroever, Hilton’s declare that it was unlawful to be parked was false, in response to Hinton’s lawyer.
The bodycam transcript tells a well-known story: a bored cop out in search of bother, discovering it, and having fun with it:
Within the body-camera footage capturing the confrontation, Hinton tells the deputy that it isn’t against the law however as an alternative a civil offense to be within the park after hours and provides to go away. Deputy Hilton then interjects and tells Hinton that he is not free to go away. The trade between the 2 consists of Hinton’s shock on the sudden escalation, and he then refuses to offer his identification to the officer.
Hilton then asks him: “Whose automotive are you in?”
The deputy asks for his identify once more earlier than placing on his gloves. He asks Hilton to face up and put his palms on the automobile.
The deputy then places his palms on Hinton, who says “do not put your palms on me, pal.”
“You will get harm,” Hilton responds.
Sgt. Hilton and different officers current turned off their bodycams after they start discussing the beating; police are required to go away it on. Solely Hilton is off the streets.
Hilton, you won’t be stunned to be taught, has a historical past of public misconduct, and an area choose has brazenly condemned it.
“Deputy Clay Hilton’s conduct because the issuance of the choice in State v. Vaile means that he works as a legislation enforcement officer to not serve others and profit the Spokane group, however to intimidate and dominate,” Fearing wrote. “I maintain no ailing will towards Deputy Hilton, however have concern about his anger, incapacity to replicate on his habits, and insistence on retaliation. I lack confidence in his credibility.”
If a choose cannot do something about this man, what hope does anybody else have?
Bodycam footage is under:
This physique digicam video depicts Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Hilton arresting a 62-year-old Colfax man who had stopped to nap throughout a street journey, in response to his legal professional Josh Maurer. Hilton was positioned on depart on the finish of September 2023 when the Spokane County Sheriff’s Workplace was notified of the incident by the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Workplace.