Sheriff supports passing case to FBI

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said Friday he fully supports Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick’s decision to forward homicide allegations involving the River Park Square garage to the FBI.

Former Pend Oreille County Sheriff Tony Bamonte sent a letter dated Aug. 18 to Kirkpatrick and Knezovich urging them to open a manslaughter investigation into last year’s death of Jo Ellen Savage, who died after her car hit a barrier and fell from the garage’s fifth floor on April 8, 2006.

River Park Square is owned by the Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review.

Kirkpatrick said she forwarded Bamonte’s letter and supporting documents to the FBI because of the city’s involvement in the garage. Bamonte has said he would prefer the case be handled by the Sheriff’s Office.

Even though manslaughter is a state crime, Knezovich said he has full faith in the FBI to examine the case. If federal investigators believe a crime was committed, they will forward it back to local jurisdictions, he said.