Sheriff's probe clears deputies of wrongdoing

SANDPOINT - Deputies' deadly use of force was justified during a gunfight with a Hope man earlier this summer, Bonner County Sheriff Elaine Savage said on Monday.

Savage said an internal investigation into the shooting which left Mark Eric Betts dead concluded that the deputies' actions were appropriate and complied with department policy.

Savage's announcement comes several days after Prosecutor Phil Robinson determined deputies and other law officers committed no wrongdoing. The determination was based on an extensive investigation conducted by Idaho State Police.

"They followed all procedures," Savage said. "There's nothing questionable about the shooting and my internal (investigation) didn't reveal any questions as far as the procedure they followed."

The identities of the deputies involved in the July 7 shooting were also revealed on Monday. They were identified as Lt. Gary Johnston, Mitch Parnell and Phil Stella.

Betts, 45, was accused of stealing several bottles of liquor from the state liquor store in the Bonner Mall and leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase that ended on Colburn Culver Road.

Video footage captured by a camera mounted in a Parnell's vehicle showed Betts speeding northbound on U.S. Highway 95 in a Chevrolet Blazer. A Ponderay Police Department pickup truck follows closely behind the fleeing sport utility vehicle.

The video goes on to show the Blazer steering around a spike strip placed across the highway where the two northbound lanes constrict to one. The chase shifts east onto Colburn Culver and Ponderay Police Chief Mike Hutter is seen overtaking Betts and pulling in front of the SUV in an apparent attempt to slow it down.

Betts tries to regain his lead and sideswipes the passenger side of Hutter's pickup. The two rigs scrape against each other and the SUV appears to force Hutter onto the northbound shoulder, where the chase comes to a halt.

Footage from Parnell's camera shows the SUV, which is tilted a nearly 45-degree angle, shows Betts spinning his tires in a futile attempt to gain traction and the last few moments of his life.

Seconds after the tires stop, Betts pushes open his passenger door part way and raises his pistol just as Parnell moves into frame on foot. Gunfire then erupts, with a tight cluster of bullet holes forming on the lower bottom left quadrant of Betts' window.

Parnell's uniform was struck by a shot fired from Betts' .380-caliber handgun, but it miraculously hit nothing else.

Savage said all three deputies opened fire on Betts, but the internal investigation did not determine which deputies' shots were the fatal ones.

Savage said she was grateful none of her deputies were injured and added that the incident demonstrates how a quickly a peaceful summer day can turn deadly.

"I hate that a human life was taken. We'll never get past that part, but I'm very proud of their training and that they acted appropriately given the circumstances," she said.