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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review

Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883 Cloudy 28° Cloudy
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Tags let us describe our content with keywords, making it easier to find what you're most interested in. Use the search box to look for tags, or explore our coverage with the lists below.

Clark: Unmarked police car bill solves no one’s problems

I’ve long held the belief that if Olympia’s electricity came from brainpower the Statehouse would be in a perpetual gloom. Even so, I’m confident there’s still enough wisdom at the Capitol to snuff the knee-jerk legislation being proposed by two Spokane Valley lawmakers, Matt Shea and Larry Crouse.

Creaches want all cars marked

No one has lost more from the August shooting that killed a Spokane Valley pastor than Imogene Creach. The widow of 74-year-old Wayne Scott Creach stood among family members Wednesday as they implored Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich to prohibit the parking of unmarked patrol cars on private property.

Pastor’s family seeks limits on unmarked police cars

The family of a Spokane Valley pastor killed in a police confrontation outside his home called on Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich today to voluntarily prohibit the parking of unmarked patrol cars on private property.

Unmarked police cars targeted

Two lawmakers from Spokane Valley want to bar law enforcement officers from parking unmarked police cars on private property for routine matters. The legislation, sponsored by Republican state Reps. Matt Shea and Larry Crouse, seeks to clarify what they called a “vague” state law that allows local law enforcement to use unmarked cars for administrative tasks. They both said in a news release that the clarification would avoid future confrontations like the one that led to the fatal police shooting of 74-year-old Wayne Scott Creach last summer.

Panels find Creach shooting reasonable

Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Hirzel acted “in a reasonable manner” when he fatally shot a 74-year-old pastor last summer in Spokane Valley, two departmental reviews have concluded. “Deputy Brian Hirzel’s use of force in this incident was reasonable based on policies of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office,” the department said, citing its Deadly Force Review Board’s conclusions.

Slain pastor’s sons push for new laws

The sons of slain pastor Wayne Scott Creach have taken their quest for justice to the state Legislature. Alan and Ernie Creach, and the Freedom Restoration Project, a gun rights activist group, submitted two bills last week they hope will curb unjustified police shootings and the illegal use of unmarked vehicles, in response to the Aug. 25 shooting death of 74-year-old Creach in Spokane Valley.

Clark: Tucker made right call in a sad case

So the verdict is finally in. Spokane County Prosecutor Steve Tucker will NOT charge the sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed an elderly Spokane Valley pastor last August.

Deputy won’t face charges in shooting

A Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputy won’t face criminal charges in the shooting death of a 74-year-old Spokane Valley pastor, a decision Prosecutor Steve Tucker says came down to this fact: Deputy Brian Hirzel has more protection under the law than the average citizen. “It’s kind of a law enforcement shield,” Tucker said Friday. “Unless we can show (Hirzel) is showing malice or evil intent, we can’t hold him criminally liable.”

Deputy won’t be charged in shooting death of pastor

Spokane County Prosecutor Steve Tucker has decided not to file criminal charges against the deputy who shot 74-year-old pastor Wayne Scott Creach during a confrontation last August in Spokane Valley.

Creach case hinges on self-defense claim

In principle, it seems clear that a 74-year-old pastor on his own property should not die as a result of an encounter with law enforcement, as Wayne Scott Creach did in August. Since then, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich called the incident a “very unfortunate death,” and Creach’s family and the wider community have been asking for answers.

Example guides new head pastor after fatal shooting

The Rev. Eric Walsh was living in McKenzie, Tenn., when he heard in late 2009 about an opening at Greenacres Baptist Church in Spokane Valley. Walsh got the job, and had been settled here with his family just eight months when his title abruptly changed from associate pastor to pastor. That’s when he was asked to fill in for the man who 40 years ago founded the Southern Baptist church in Spokane Valley: Wayne Scott Creach.

Recent police shootings raise notion of inquests

Nearly four months after their father was shot to death by a deputy sheriff in Spokane Valley, sons of Wayne Scott Creach are still looking for answers. Police detectives investigating the case told them in September to stop calling. They haven’t heard from prosecutors reviewing the circumstances surrounding the fatal Aug. 25 shooting. The deputy involved, Brian Hirzel, remains on desk duty until a decision is made about whether the shooting was justified.

Deputy cleared over sex toys business

The deputy who shot a Spokane Valley pastor will not face discipline for failing to disclose his co-ownership of a business that sold sex toys online. Spokane County Deputy Brian Hirzel remains under investigation for the Aug. 25 shooting that killed Pastor Wayne Scott Creach near his home and greenhouse business in Spokane Valley.

Police investigate burglary at Creach son’s house

Spokane Valley police were searching Wednesday for at least three intruders who ransacked the home of Ernie Creach, son of slain Spokane Valley pastor Wayne Scott Creach. Ernie Creach said his wife, Laura, arrived at their home Wednesday with their two young children and saw people inside the house near Eighth Avenue and Best Street.