Jul. 17—The woman killed while jogging Wednesday morning near the Manito Country Club on the South Hill was health care executive Sarah Doxey.
“CHAS Health is shocked and grieving the tragic passing of our Chief Operating Officer Sarah Doxey. Sarah was a key member of our Leadership Team, and her wisdom, kindness, and professional contributions will be greatly missed,” the organization said in a statement.
Doxey, 48, was hit by an SUV driven by a 17-year-old boy at about 5:30 a.m. near Perry Street and 49th Avenue, according to Spokane Police. The teen, identified in court records as Keegan Forshee, was arrested after fleeing the scene on foot, police said. He appeared in court Thursday afternoon to face charges of assault, hit and run, and driving under the influence.
According to Doxey’s LinkedIn page, she was named chief operations officer of Community Health Association of Spokane in March.
Previously, she served as the vice president of operations of CHAS, preceded by 10 years at Providence Health Care and work with Spokane Eye Clinic, Cancer Care Northwest and Northwest OB-GYN.
“Throughout her ten years with Providence, Sarah was the embodiment of a servant leader. Her innovative contributions and commitment to excellence played an instrumental role in shaping the success of our pediatrics department,” Providence wrote in a statement. “Sarah’s spirit and dedication will continue to resonate throughout our ministry for years to come.”
Alan Johnson, an optometrist at Spokane Eye Clinic, said, “Sarah was a cherished member of the Spokane Eye Clinic family who worked tirelessly to improve the patient experience and our employees job satisfaction. She will be dearly missed.”
According to court records, the SUV that struck Doxey belonged to the parents of Forshee’s friend. The friend, another teen, told police he was passed out in the back seat of the SUV and awoke after he was thrown about when the vehicle crashed into a tree in the front yard of a home.
The friend, whose initials are O.O., then realized he was alone in the SUV. He later told police that he didn’t see Forshee drinking but suspected he might have been using marijuana.
A witness who heard a loud scream and crash told police he saw the driver of the SUV get out, jump the fence onto the golf course and run. Another witness told police he watched the driver lose a shoe as he ran. Officers said they collected a gray shoe from the course.
Firefighters with Station 5 on West Eagle Ridge Boulevard told police they saw the suspect running across U.S. Highway 195 into a wooded area off South Meadow Lane Road.
When police detained Forshee, he was bleeding from the nose, missing his shoes and the lower part of his pants were wet. He also had a burn mark with melted hair on his left forearm that police wrote was consistent with injuries sustained from an airbag deploying during a crash.
He was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center. He appeared in court Thursday afternoon. He is being held without bond at least until an upcoming court hearing scheduled for next week.
Doxey is survived by her husband and two schoolage children.
Caroline Saint James’ ‘s reporting was funded by Comma’s First Amendment Club.