The Kevin Hinton lawsuit is a federal civil rights case filed in August 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, in which Hinton, a 62-year-old Spokane-area man, sues former Spokane County Sheriff’s Sergeant Clay Hilton and several government defendants over a violent August 2023 arrest at a Spokane Valley park. The case is active but currently on hold, stayed by the court until Hilton’s state and federal criminal prosecutions conclude.1PACER Monitor. Hinton v. Spokane County Sheriffs Office et al
What the Lawsuit Claims and Who It Names
Hinton filed suit under 42 U.S.C. ยง 1983, the federal civil rights statute. The case is captioned Hinton v. Spokane County Sheriffs Office et al., docket number 2:2024-cv-00284. Named defendants include Sergeant Clay Hilton, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane County, the City of Spokane Valley, the Spokane Valley Police Department, Sheriff John Nowels, and Deputy Dave Ellis.2Justia. Hinton v. Spokane County Sheriffs Office et al
Hinton is represented by attorneys Timothy Note and Joshua Maurer. The suit has been described in court proceedings as a multimillion-dollar claim, though the specific damages figure has not been publicly disclosed in the docket. American Medical Response Ambulance Service, originally named, was dismissed with prejudice in December 2024, meaning Hinton cannot refile against that party.1PACER Monitor. Hinton v. Spokane County Sheriffs Office et al
The Arrest That Led to the Suit
On the night of August 14, 2023, Hinton had just finished a roughly ten-hour drive home from Oregon after visiting his newborn granddaughter. When his daughters didn’t pick up his late call, he pulled into Terrace View Park in Spokane Valley to sleep in his car. Shoes off, pillow out, movie on. His pet umbrella cockatoo, Lilly, was in the passenger seat.3The Spokesman-Review. Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Placed on Leave After Arrest
Shortly before midnight, then-Sergeant Clay Hilton approached the vehicle. Hilton lived across the street from the park and was working an overtime shift for the Spokane Valley Police Department. He told Hinton he was breaking the law by being in the park after hours. Hinton answered that the violation was civil rather than criminal and offered to leave. Hilton told him he was “not free to leave” and demanded identification, which Hinton either refused to provide or did not have.4The Spokesman-Review. Defense Paints Former Spokane Sheriff’s Sergeant Clay Hilton as Acting in Self-Defense
Body camera footage shows Hilton pulling Hinton from the vehicle by his legs and then striking him repeatedly in the face and torso. Hilton arrested Hinton for being in the park after hours, resisting arrest, and obstruction.5KXLY. Former Spokane County Sergeant Goes on Trial Accused of Assaulting a Man He Was Arresting
All three charges against Hinton were dismissed. Prosecutors determined the park-after-hours charge was based on the wrong municipal code entirely: Hilton had cited a City of Spokane code rather than a Spokane Valley code. With the underlying charge invalid, the resisting and obstruction charges fell as well.5KXLY. Former Spokane County Sergeant Goes on Trial Accused of Assaulting a Man He Was Arresting
Hilton’s police report described Hinton as “instantly confrontational” and said Hilton feared Hinton was reaching for one of two knives visible in the vehicle. According to attorney Timothy Note, the body camera footage shows Hinton did not reach for any object before being pulled from the car.6Know Your Rights Camp. Attorney for Kevin Hinton Says Clay Hilton’s Police Report Is Different From Body Cam Video The footage also captured Hinton, handcuffed and bleeding, quoting Hilton as saying, “You’ve got a little something on your face.” Other deputies at the scene turned off their body camera audio, leaving portions of the aftermath without sound.7The Spokesman-Review. Deputy Who Broke Eight Ribs of Man He Arrested in Spokane Valley Park
Hinton’s Injuries
When Hinton arrived at the Spokane County Jail, staff refused to book him because of the extent of his injuries. He was taken to a hospital and treated for eight broken ribs, a punctured lung, a severe concussion, a shoulder injury, a disfigured lip, and deep cuts and bruises across his face. He lost his false teeth during the beating and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.4The Spokesman-Review. Defense Paints Former Spokane Sheriff’s Sergeant Clay Hilton as Acting in Self-Defense
Why the Civil Case Is on Hold
The lawsuit has been stayed pending the resolution of Hilton’s criminal cases. In January 2026, Chief Judge Stanley A. Bastian denied a motion to lift the stay and ordered Hilton to file periodic status reports on the criminal proceedings. No civil trial date has been set, and no settlement has been reached.1PACER Monitor. Hinton v. Spokane County Sheriffs Office et al
Two criminal prosecutions are pending against Hilton. The state case charges him with second-degree assault, a felony carrying up to ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine, along with misdemeanor false swearing for allegedly making false statements while performing his duties.8KREM. Opening Statements, Testimony Begin in Criminal Trial of Former Spokane County Deputy9KHQ. Jury Selection Expected This Week in Former Spokane Deputy’s Trial The Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is handling the case due to a conflict in Spokane County. It marked the first time a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy had been criminally charged for on-duty conduct. Trial began June 15, 2026, in Spokane County Superior Court and was scheduled through June 18.
In October 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Hilton on two counts: deprivation of rights under color of law for allegedly using unreasonable force, and falsification of records for allegedly fabricating the claims about visible knives in his field case report the day after the incident. The deprivation-of-rights count carries up to ten years; the falsification count carries up to twenty. Hilton pleaded not guilty by video, and his attorney successfully moved to quash the arrest warrant at his initial appearance.10The Spokesman-Review. Feds Charge Former Spokane County Sheriff’s Sergeant
What the Sheriff’s Office Did
Hilton was placed on paid administrative leave after the body camera footage surfaced. On September 3, 2024, Sheriff John Nowels fired him, finding his conduct “clearly outside of policy” and a contributing factor to the criminal charges against him.11KXLY. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Fires Deputy Over Misconduct
Nowels also disciplined other officers who responded to the scene, saying some department members, including supervisors, “did not live up to the standards of conduct” expected during and after the incident. He announced several changes: a dedicated internal affairs lieutenant position to review use-of-force incidents more thoroughly, restructured submission procedures for use-of-force reports, and tightened rules on when officers can mute body camera audio, after concerns that the muting function had been overused during the Hinton arrest.12Police1. Wash. Sheriff Pledges Policy Changes Following Backlash Over Sergeant’s Conduct During Arrest
Sheriff Nowels remains a defendant in Hinton’s civil suit, alongside the sheriff’s office, the county, the city of Spokane Valley, its police department, Hilton, and Deputy Dave Ellis. Movement in the civil case will depend on what happens next in the state and federal criminal trials.