SEQUIM — Based on a briefing she has received, it is unlikely criminal charges will be filed against Clallam County Undersheriff Rich Sill for an alleged “criminal coverup,” Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Deborah Kelly said Wednesday.
Sill has been under investigation by the State Patrol after he took his adult son from the scene of a motorcycle crash.
Kelly said she had not read the Patrol’s investigative report, which has not been released to the public, but she has been briefed on its contents — and “based on the briefing, I don’t expect to have anything.”
Kelly said she would be “surprised” if after reviewing the report that Sill would be charged.
Sill has denied any wrongdoing in removing his son, Jedediah Sill, 21, from the scene following a single-vehicle crash on West Sequim bay Road July 17 .
Probed ‘every angle’
Sheriff Joe Martin, who is seeking re-election, asked State Patrol investigators to look into the matter.
The investigation into “allegations of criminal cover-up” was conducted by State Patrol Detective Dave Killeen and covered “every angle,” said Trooper Jill Hannem, a spokeswoman for State Patrol.
It was forwarded to Kelly on Aug. 10, said Trooper Brian George, another State Patrol spokesman.
Sill said he was returning home from work at about 6 p.m. when he saw a bloodied man pushing a motorcycle down the middle of the road.
After identifying the man as his son, and determining that he wasn’t in shock, Sill took Jedediah to Olympic Medical Center.
Jedediah was later airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and underwent surgery to have his broken jaw reset.
Meanwhile, Sequim police arrived after receiving reports of a bloody man on the road.
At first officers couldn’t find the subject.
The scene of the crash was just outside the Sequim city limits.
The case was later turned over to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department.
It was later learned that Sill had picked up his son.
Jedediah lives with the undersheriff and his wife near the scene of the wreck.
The state Department of Licensing confirmed that Jedediah had a suspended driver’s license and was not authorized to operate a motorcycle on state roads.
Sill denied that he knew the status of son’s driving eligibility.
Circumstances questioned
Sequim Police Chief Robert Spinks questioned the circumstances surrounding the crash and Sill removing his son from the scene
Spinks said that Sequim police officers wanted to speak with Jedediah regarding possible traffic infractions.
Sill denied any knowledge of driving infractions.
“The reality is, a dad found his son pushing a motorcycle down the middle of the road and took him to the hospital,” Sill told the Peninsula Daily News shortly after the July incident.
