In brief: Sheriff memo reinforces on-duty sex ban

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich released an internal memo this week reiterating that employees who violate policies forbidding sex on duty and falsifying official reports may be fired.

Knezovich wrote that “sex on duty is a breach of not only the public trust but also it is a breach of our code of ethics, core values, officer safety, etc.” He also said falsifying reports “will not be tolerated.”

The memo was prompted by a state arbitrator’s decision to reinstate Deputy Scott Kenoyer last month, reversing his termination. Kenoyer admitted in August 2013 to having sex with a woman while on duty, and Knezovich also determined that Kenoyer lied about his actions to dispatchers.

Collision with firetruck leads to citation

A man has been cited for making an improper lane change after his pickup collided with a Spokane firetruck Monday.

Mark McElrath, 51, was westbound on Interstate 90 near U.S. Highway 195 about 2 p.m. when his pickup rolled after hitting the firetruck, the Washington State Patrol said. He and a passenger were transported to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and had been released as of Tuesday morning. The driver of the firetruck, Steven McMullen, 45, was uninjured.

The crew of three inside the fire engine was returning to Station 6 on the West Plains following training, said Brian Schaeffer, Spokane Fire Department assistant chief. The engine appears to be repairable, Schaeffer said.

No charges in alleged assault on boat

A suspect in an assault last month at the Moses Lake Sand Dunes has been found. But the alleged victim, Corey Barker, of Tacoma, will not press charges and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office has closed the case, the office said in a news release.

Barker allegedly was shoved off a boat head-first on May 24. Investigators had asked for the public’s help in finding the suspect. Barker was taken to Harborview Medical Center with critical injuries but recovered.