Just days before ballots arrive

A 6-person jury on Tuesday found a Kennewick man not guilty of stalking the daughter of a Washington state lawmaker. The decision was made following a two-day trial in Franklin County District Court that saw several public officials — including state Sen. Nikki Torres herself — provide testimony.

he case also brought into question the boundaries of Washington’s voter registration challenge laws, which allow the public to challenge the eligibility of candidates seeking public office. Jurors returned their “not guilty” verdict on one count of stalking, a gross misdemeanor, after about 2 hours of deliberation. In order to establish a guilty verdict, the body had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that six elements of the case related to Washington’s stalking laws were sufficient. The jury did not disclose which ones it found insufficient. Defense attorney Kevin Holt said he believed his client’s First Amendment rights were at stake in the case. The verdict, he said, vindicates Trevor Delorme, 21. “They were trying to make criminal a political activity that he was doing because he wanted to be involved in politics,” Holt told the Tri-City Herald. “It was really a waste of time… It was a complete overuse of our resources.”

Stalking charge Delorme spent several hours outside a Pasco home occupied by Torres’ 26-year-old daughter on April 29 and 30. He was later arrested at his home and charged with stalking, a gross misdemeanor, for causing the family emotional distress.

Delorme was attempting to verify Sen. Torres’ address in an effort to file a voter registration challenge and disqualify her from running in the 8th Legislative District. Torres survived a voter challenge in July filed by a different voter from Pasco who made similar unverifiable allegations. He was working with Torres’ opponent, Gabe Galbraith, as well as a group of Republicans who believed she was still living at her old home outside the district. Delorme’s role was to stake out the house and get a photo of Torres entering the house, and investigatory documents show Galbraith paid for his gas. Torres recently moved into a new home on the Pasco waterfront to be eligible to run for the vacant 8th Legislative District senate seat after a redistricting scuffle in the courts left her ineligible to run for reelection in the 15th Legislative District.

Holt argued this was a “political case” against a young man who was exercising his constitutional right to question his legislator.

He said the case just “kept on growing into a life of its own,” and that the state’s laws on stalking were being misused. “Nobody wanted to basically say this was a political incident, and that it should be forgotten. Instead, they want to turn it into some capital case with a stalker. They want to make them think that he is a Ted Bundy out here trying to find some young lady,” he said. “That’s not this situation. That’s what the law was made to protect people from, but it’s not what’s happening here,” he said. Yakima County deputy prosecutor Matt Mills prosecuted the case in lieu of Franklin County prosecutor Shawn Sant, who recused his office due to his personal endorsement of Torres’ campaign. In his closing arguments, he leaned on Ring doorbell camera footage that showed Delorme speed away from the home as Torres’ daughter tried confronting him. She later told police that Delorme’s presence made her scared for her life.

Mills questioned why Delorme didn’t conduct interviews with the family for his registration challenge, or collect any other relevant evidence — such as sending a certified letter — as laid out by the Washington Secretary of State’s Office. “He knew what he was doing wasn’t right,” Mills said. “There’s no constitutional right to harass somebody.” After the verdict was read, Mills told the Tri-City Herald that this case was “probably unlike one I’ve ever done before,” saying he’s never had a state senator tied up in a trial like that.

The second day of the trial was mostly filled with witness testimony from the defense. Pasco Police Chief Brent Cook spoke about his interactions with Sen. Torres and their security concerns, and Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton spoke on the voter registration challenge process. Holt questioned the senator about Delorme’s run in with the family, and she was unable to recall some of the details. Cook suggested Sen. Torres make sure the Legislature’s security members were aware of what was happening to her family. She said she was not living in the same household as her daughter at the time of the incident. Galbraith, who separately serves as president of the Kennewick School Board, also took the stand in Delorme’s trial, but asserted his Fifth Amendment right to not answer any questions. Police had investigated his and a campaign aide’s involvement in the incident, though no charges have been filed against the two men. Galbraith did file a campaign fundraising report showing he paid Delorme $80 for gas for campaign purposes.

Scott Johnson, Galbraith’s attorney, said while Mills has indicated criminal charges against him are unlikely, the “possibility of criminal exposure has not been completely eliminated.” “I want to emphasize that Gabe’s invocation of the Fifth Amendment should not be construed as an indication of guilt or wrongdoing,” he told the Tri-City Herald in a statement. “Nothing we have seen to date suggests that Gabe engaged in any criminal activity, and Gabe has consistently and unequivocally denied any involvement in criminal conduct.” Galbraith and Torres will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The winner will take office in 2027.
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