Updated: Nov.19 to include more details on why Croskrey was added to the PID list.
Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger emailed the Observer that Benton County Sheriff Tom Croskrey had been added to the Potential Impeachment Disclosure (PID) list, also known as the “Brady List,” July 30. Croskrey stepped down as sheriff Sept. 30, midway through his elected four-year term.
In a public comment to the Benton County Board of Commissioners at their Nov. 18 meeting, retired Benton County Deputy Carlos Trevino warned them that appointing Interim Benton County Sheriff Mike Clark, part of the command team under Croskrey, would continue problems in the Benton County Sheriff’s office that began two sheriffs ago with Jerry Hatcher and were proving to be very expensive for the county.
Eisinger received a report from the Grant County prosecutor prior to adding Croskrey to the PID list.
In an email today from Eisinger, he confirmed that Croskrey had been moved from the pending PID to the PID after he received a report from Special Prosecutor Kevin McCrae of Grant County who received an investigation report from the Yakima Police Department about a city of Richland investigation in 2023.
The Richland investigation involved former Richland Police Chief Brigit Clary, retired Richland police officer Jeff Bickford and Croskrey and the circumstances surrounding Bickford’s efforts to obtain a retirement card. Eisinger had asked the Yakima Police Department and the Grant County Prosecutor for an independent review of the matter on behalf of Benton County.
According to Richland City Attorney Heather Kintzley, the city has not received a copy of the Yakima Police Department report or the special prosecutor’s finding. In an email to the Observer she wrote, “The City was never given either report, which is not surprising since the issues investigated by those agencies were ancillary to the City’s concerns regarding Ms. Clary.”
Voters recalled Hatcher
Voters recalled Hatcher in 2021 for eight charges that included intimidating officers and witnesses, violating anti-discrimination policies, and making false or misleading statements. Croskrey was appointed by the county commission to replace him and then was elected for a four-year term. Lieutenant Mike Clark, who has been at the sheriff’s department for 22 years, leads community services and was the department spokesperson before being named by the county commission to serve as interim Sheriff.
Deputy tells commissioners to expect more expensive lawsuits
Trevino told Commission Chairman Jerome Delvin, and Commissioners Michael Alvarez and Will McKay that the same management style that started with Hatcher had continued under the sheriffs who followed him. He said that expenses for potential new lawsuits would be picked up by county taxpayers.
Trevino read campaign promises from each commissioner pledging to be responsible with taxpayers’ dollars.
Croskrey had been on the “pending list” indicating that an investigation was ongoing.
Prosecutors are required to disclose to the defense any law enforcement officers who have credibility issues. Croskrey had been on the “pending list” indicating that an investigation was ongoing. Officers usually view inclusion on the list as career ending.
According to David Quinlan at the Criminal Justice Training Commission in an email to the Observer, the commission had five cases related to former Sheriff Croskrey and four had been closed and one was assigned to an investigator on October 30, 2024. He provided no details.
Croskrey had been investigated in early 2024 for signing a retirement letter to the CJTC that seemed to imply that the officer was retiring from his department when he was retiring from the Richland Police Department.
Commission will interview three candidates.
On Nov. 20 at 9:00 a.m. at the Benton County Administration Center, the commissioners will interview the three candidates for sheriff: former Benton County sheriff deputies Jeremy Carrigan and Michael Clark and a current sheriff’s deputy who previously served as state representative and was recently elected to the Kennewick City Council, Brad Klippert.
Commissioner Alvarez responds.
At the close of the commission meeting, Alvarez said, “I will not be pressured….we will do the right thing.”
From the footnoted citizen journalism site that is Wikipedia… “In November 2021, Klippert and 2 other Washington state Republican lawmakers signed a letter calling the 2020 election “corrupted” and demanded that an audit similar to the Arizona one be conducted in all states.[5] The letter also requested the decertification of state electors from 2020 and falsely claimed that the Arizona audit found evidence of fraud.[6]”
Thank you for reminding us about Klippert’s conspiracy theory beliefs regarding the 2020 election. Hopefully the commissioners will also remember how Klippert’s write-in campaign for WA Sec of State acted as a spoiler. His rampant partisanship and general loose cannon approach would not be a good choice for the Sheriff’s Dept. Hopefully the next Sheriff will be a steady leader who can right the ship.
Hi Keep, I appreciate you comment. I’ve seen Klippert be rude and condescending to people, particularly women, at legislative town halls. He wouldn’t be on my list. That’s for sure. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy
Hi Eric, I appreciate your comment. It’s hard for me to forget how rude Klippert was to questioners, particularly women, at the legislators’ town halls. We don’t need that kind of attitude from a sheriff. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randu
In regards to the “Brady List” on Sheriff Croskry, Eric Eisinger and prosecutors statewide – disappointing!!
The prosecutors statewide REFUSE to give police “due process” when they are placed on what they call “Temporary” Brady List. They say they have to notify defense attorneys of the officers placement – FOREVER! That’s unfair when law enforcement are treated as 2nd Class in a system they are sworn to protect in our communities.
The ability for someone to make a false claim an against an LEO is as easy as a phone call, E-mail or a text. The LEO has no recourse or “Due Process” to defend themselves to prove the accusation is false.
A police officer’s integrity is his badge of honor. But the power hungry controlling prosecutors refuse to allow a process to vindicate the officer.
Defense attorneys regularly mislead or misinform the court and that is perfectly OK. As an officer of the court they should be held to the same standard.
TCO – do an in depth dive on this falsehood power grab by prosecutors and don’t hang your hat on their basic response – they have to! Their badge of honor is to be fair and allow full due process. Anything less is their loss of integrity!
Jack, you know my resolve when it comes to being a fact finder and not a theorist. That being said, I have personally observed questionable ethics on the part of former Sheriff Croskrey and his administrative minions. Specially surrounding the illegal disposition of approximately $15,000 worth of surplus county property that was “supposedy” destroyed but still found it’s way into the hands of the Sheriff’s good friend. That being said, I fully support the placement of his name on the Brady List.
OK – your opinion. But what about all other LEO’s you don’t know about or their circumstances – are they entitled to DUE PROCESS? Is the accusation truthful? Do they get “their day in court”?
Considering it’s your son in law who may be the most educationally unqualified sheriff in county history, you are very bold to have any comment in this entire scenario
be whole lot easier to feel for this complaint if it weren’t for qualified immunity