Sheriff Apologizes After Trashing Wrong House in Porn Raid

County Sheriff Ozzie D. Knezovich apologized Tuesday to a 67-year-old man after deputies mistakenly raided then trashed his house in search of pornographic evidence against a man said to be responsible for dozens of obscene phone calls to woman at Whitworth College.

The man, who asked not to be identified, told the Spokesman Review that on Sept. 27, police dumped out drawers, went through his wallet and other belongings as well as seized computers, CDs, floppy disks, VHS tapes and other items then refused to clean up the mess.

Knezovich publicly apologized to the man, saying that the raid mistakenly targeted his home after Detective Timothy D. Hines accidentally wrote down the wrong phone number to find its address.

About half a dozen sheriff’s vehicles took part in the raid where Hines reportedly urged officers to go inside and “get some porn.”

Deputies confiscated a number of videos, including The Lion King and Snow White which were found in a bedroom where the man’s granddaughter sleeps during visits.

The homeowner said he had hired a lawyer, but did not say whether he would sue Spokane County over the issue.

Capt. Bruce E. Mathews said Hines realized his mistake Monday when he checked the phone number again. Knezovich said he plans to revamp police procedures to avoid similar mistakes in the future. He added that Hines would not be disciplined.

Meanwhile, investigators arrested Robert M. Sherman, 42, on Wednesday for alleged telephone harassment involving about 30 obscene calls to women at Whitworth College, said sheriff’s Sgt. R. David Reagan.

Following the arrest, investigators learned that Sherman started calling the coeds after his bills to phone sex lines became too expensive.