Newspaper request on deputies identities under review

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said Wednesday morning that he was in the process of releasing the identities of deputies who responded over the past five years to crime reports at the nursery where Deputy Brian Hirzel shot and killed pastor Wayne Scott Creach last month.

However, Jim Emacio, chief deputy civil prosecuting attorney, said late Wednesday that he was essentially vetoing the sheriff and would keep the information concealed until he has more time to review the request made by The Spokesman-Review under the state’s Public Records Act.

Emacio acknowledged that Knezovich expressed his desire to release the deputies’ names but said he needed to check case law on another portion of the request, which asked for the names of those whose calls to police resulted in 21 deputy contacts to the Plant Farm in five years.