CHAS COO Sarah Doxey killed in fatal hit-and-run Wednesday morning

The woman killed while jogging Wednesday morning near the Manito Country Club on the South Hill was health care executive Sarah Doxey.

“CHAS Health is shocked and grieving the tragic passing of our Chief Operating Officer Sarah Doxey. Sarah was a key member of our Leadership Team, and her wisdom, kindness, and professional contributions will be greatly missed,” the organization said in a statement.

Doxey, 48, was hit by an SUV driven by a 17-year-old boy at about 5:30 a.m. near Perry Street and 49th Avenue, according to Spokane Police. The teen, identified in court records as Keegan Forshee, was arrested after fleeing the scene on foot, police said. He appeared in court Thursday afternoon to face intended charges of vehicular homicide, hit and run and operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license.

At Forshee’s hearing, where a judge held him in jail, family members of Doxey and Forshee addressed the court.

Doxey is survived by her husband, Erick Doxey, and two teen children.

A victim advocate read a short statement from Erick Doxey that said his wife was a large part of the community and wanted Forshee to know the impacts her death had on her family.

Sarah Doxey’s sister said her death had a “devastating impact” on their family and the community.

She forgave Forshee, but said, “I believe you should face every consequence possible. You killed my sister.”

Morgan Maxey, Forshee’s attorney, read a few statements from Forshee’s family members. All offered their condolences to the Doxey family.

“Our hearts truly ache for them,” Maxey read from Forshee’s grandparents’ statement.

The family members described Forshee as affectionate, intelligent, kind, caring and respectful.

“Keegan’s kindness shines through in his every day actions,” the grandparents wrote.

Forshee’s mother said her son will carry the burden of that day the rest of his life and that his remorse is genuine.

“I believe he is capable of meaningful growth,” she said.

According to Doxey’s LinkedIn page, she was named chief operations officer of Community Health Association of Spokane in March.

Previously, she served as the vice president of operations of CHAS, preceded by 10 years at Providence Health Care and work with Spokane Eye Clinic, Cancer Care Northwest and Northwest OB-GYN.

“Throughout her ten years with Providence, Sarah was the embodiment of a servant leader. Her innovative contributions and commitment to excellence played an instrumental role in shaping the success of our pediatrics department,” Providence wrote in a statement. “Sarah’s spirit and dedication will continue to resonate throughout our ministry for years to come.”

Alan Johnson, an optometrist at Spokane Eye Clinic, said, “Sarah was a cherished member of the Spokane Eye Clinic family who worked tirelessly to improve the patient experience and our employees job satisfaction. She will be dearly missed.”

According to court records, the SUV that struck Doxey belonged to the parents of Forshee’s friend. The friend, another teen, told police he was passed out in the back seat of the SUV and awoke after he was thrown about when the vehicle crashed into a tree in the front yard of a home.

The friend, who wasn’t named in court records because he is a minor, then realized he was alone in the SUV. He later told police he didn’t see Forshee drinking but suspected he might have been using marijuana.

A witness who heard a loud scream and crash told police he saw the driver of the SUV get out, jump the fence onto the golf course and run. Another witness told police he watched the driver lose a shoe as he ran. Officers said they collected a gray shoe from the course.

Firefighters with Station 5 on West Eagle Ridge Boulevard told police they saw the suspect running across U.S. Highway 195 into a wooded area off South Meadow Lane Road.

When police detained Forshee, he was bleeding from the nose, missing his shoes and the lower part of his pants were wet. He also had a burn mark with melted hair on his left forearm that police wrote was consistent with injuries sustained from an airbag deploying during a crash.

He was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center. He appeared in court Thursday afternoon where Spokane County Superior Court Judge Jeremy Schmidt held Forshee without bond, citing the threat Forshee posed to community safety and the serious nature of the offenses.

Additionally, Schmidt said Forshee’s unstable living situation and consistent classroom absences seemed to demonstrate “a youth in crisis.”

Patti Spilker, of Spokane County Probation, said Forshee has no criminal history, is a lifelong Spokane resident and lives at his grandparents’ house as well as friends’ houses. He turns 18 next month and is pursuing his GED.

Spilker said Forshee makes music and enjoys playing video games.

She said she was concerned about a brain issue, which resulted in a brief hospitalization, Forshee has. She said she believed incarceration was appropriate because his behavior rose to the level of a community threat.

Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Deric Martin asked Schmidt to keep Forshee in the detention center, saying Forshee did not check on his friend in the car, Sarah Doxey or another jogger after the crash, and ran away instead. Forshee also lied to police, saying a female was driving, said Martin, citing court documents.

The statement contradicted Forshee’s friend, who said Forshee was the driver and he was the only passenger, and witnesses who described a male, not a female, getting out of the car and running away.

Martin questioned whether Forshee would follow court conditions if released, given his actions, which Martin called interfering with the administration of justice.

Maxey asked Schmidt to release Forshee, citing his lack of criminal history, presumption of innocence and “least restrictive alternatives,” or conditions his client can follow that would protect the community while allowing Forshee to stay out of jail.

He said Forshee’s blood alcohol concentration won’t be known until blood tests come back, which could take a year or more.

Forshee is scheduled for an arraignment Wednesday morning. He was escorted out of the courtroom after Thursday’s hearing, and his family members said through tears that they loved him.