SPOKANE, Wash. — Former Spokane County sheriff’s sergeant Clay Hilton, charged with assaulting a man he arrested three years ago, testified Monday. He claims he acted in self-defense and followed tactics taught by the Basic Law Enforcement Academy, or BLEA.
It’s the fifth day of Hilton’s criminal trial in connection with a violent interaction with 62-year-old Kevin Hinton in August 2023.
Hilton said it was his routine to stop by Terrace View Park after his shift ended. On the night of the incident, he recalled seeing a suspicious vehicle with dark tinted windows parked after hours. He testified it was safer to exit his vehicle and approach Hinton rather than wait inside his car to run the plates — noting he personally knows officers who have been shot while sitting in their vehicles…