SPOKANE – Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich plans to appeal a state Public Disclosure Commission ruling last week that he violated laws prohibiting the use of a public office for indirect lobbying and electioneering.
Knezovich was fined $300 for a YouTube presentation in February that called out Democratic lawmakers for approving policies he said emboldened criminals and fed societal lawlessness.
“These people have prevented us from developing a cohesive, structured criminal justice system that holds people accountable while, at the same time, attempts to break through recidivism,” Knezovich said in the first of two related videos.
That presentation provided footage by witnesses and surveillance cameras of two drive-by shootings between rival gangs that put the public at risk in Spokane and Spokane Valley.
In the second presentation, Knezovich showed photos of lawmakers voted for policy changes he contends have made it difficult for law enforcement to do their jobs.
The officials referenced by the sheriff include the Spokane City Council majority, and Democrats state Sen. Andy Billig and Reps. Marcus Riccelli and Timm Ormsby, all from Spokane.
Knezovich also showed a photo of Amber Waldref, the Democrat who won the Nov. 8 general election for Spokane County Commissioner District No. 2 with 55.04%.
“This individual was a Spokane city councilperson from 2010 to 2018,” the sheriff said in the video. “So, she was part of those years of a broken criminal justice system, and now she wants to run for Spokane County commissioner.”
For his part, Knezovich said he did not tell people who to vote for or urge them to contact elected leaders.
“I simply told people who was responsible for policies that weren’t working, or who supported those policies,” he said. “I get asked all the time by people, ‘Who should I talk to about this?’ and I was simply giving information about where they could take their concerns.”
Knezovich said Friday that his videos were produced late last winter after shoot-outs in Spokane and Spokane Valley by rival gangs. He said the sole purpose of the videos was education.
According to Knezovich, an exemption in the law allows communications that are “part of the normal and regular conduct of the office or agency.”
“It is my role to talk about public safety and how decisions made in Olympia and supported by some local government leaders are putting lives at risk,” he said.
Paul Dillon initiated the complaint, stating the sheriff used his office to influence elections.
“I filed the complaint because it was pretty clear that he was violating the law for campaign purposes,” he said.
The sheriff may sign a “statement of understanding” admitting to the violations within 30 days to avoid paying $100 of that fine.
But Knezovich said he has no intention of doing so. Instead, he said he will appeal the ruling within 30 days as allowed by state law.
Knezovich, a Republican, believes the complaint filed against him by Dillon in March was politically motivated.
He said Dillon, vice-president of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho, represents a liberal faction that opposes his message “socialist progressive” policies do not work.
“That is a convenient excuse for not following the law,” Dillon said. “He’s accusing me of what he was doing, which is very hypocritical.”
This is not the first time Knezovich has been found in violation of state election laws.
In 2016, he was fined $350 for using public resources for his own campaign. And a similar complaint was filed in 2018, but dropped, state records show.
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