The Columbia County Conservatives (CCC)’s website (now defunct) stated: “The purpose of the group is to recruit and support, bona fide conservatives candidates for public office who support an American First Republican agenda.” [sic]
Members of the CCC held a meet-and-greet in 2021 when two of their members were running for Columbia Port Commissioner: Johnny Watts and Seth Bryan.
During the event, Undersheriff Robbie Patterson performed an opening prayer and spoke for the candidate forum. He talked about how the country is under attack from within and anyone that loves liberty is hated by this country.
He disparaged news organizations in his speech, saying: “You look at the news networks that are lying over and over again; they're no longer reporting news, they're creating it. They're actually setting up things to happen and then reporting on them. They're actually instigating things.”
Patterson also repeated lies about the 2020 election being stolen, and spread misinformation about public education during the meet-and-greet. He urged the crowd to find “alternative sources” to find out “what is really happening.”
Blocking much-needed childcare facilities
Other members of the CCC in public office have been involved in multiple controversies, including a refusal to lease land to the YMCA to run a childcare facility. According to an article published in the Waitsburg Times on March 17, 2022, during the public meeting discussing the YWCA daycare, then-Columbia County Commissioner (and member of the CCC) Charles Amerein expressed of his fear that leasing port property to build a childcare facility run by the private, nonprofit YWCA was “nothing more than a plot to indoctrinate children into soul-less [sic] communism.”
During public comment, after quoting Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, Amerein read from a letter he had prepared:
As an American, I reject their goals and methods. While I empathize with those parents who find themselves in the difficult position of being unable to find childcare in our community, I would suggest instead of seeking more state control over their lives; [sic] they become active in seeking solutions to their problem through other means.
Amerein concluded his letter with:
I oppose this attempt at state control over the formative years of our children's lives and the use of public funds to do so. I am sure that with the millions of dollars that leftist oligarchs donate each year to ‘worthy’ causes, they can find a little to send to their puppets in rural Washington to create youth indoctrination centers. Leave my tax dollars out of it.
An article from the Dayton Chronicle reported that Commissioner Watts showed his agreement with Amerein about concerns over the YWCA daycare: “We would be a partner with whoever we lease with,” Watts said. “I want to make sure the people we partner with are absolutely with the values that we're looking for.”
The daycare facility was badly needed in the community, according to business owners that lost employees because their kids didn’t have a place to go. The Port staff have completed numerous studies about the need for childcare in the community (which can still be seen on the Port’s website.) Although there were zero childcare spots available for kids in the county in 2022, the Port did not move ahead with the lease agreement.
That same year, Shellie McLeod wrote in the Waitsburg Times about yet another attempt Amerein made to block funding for children’s facilities:
Commissioner Amerein stated in a commissioner's meeting that The Club (a nonprofit afterschool program for kids in our community) was not worthy of public funds, in his opinion, because they do not show sufficient patriotism by flying the American flag.
Undersheriff Patterson was one of the featured speakers at CCC’s 4th of July picnic last year, ‘Patriots Picnic in the Park’. From email exchanges received through a public records request, we know that Patterson remains in close contact with these members of the CCC.
Writing sermons on the clock
While researching for the recall of Undersheriff Patterson that she is preparing, Theresa Eier made several public records requests, including one that she received in July, 2024. In the response, which contained 662 emails, Eier said that something troubling was revealed: “Robbie Patterson, a paid government employee , is actively writing his sermons for his private ministry, accessing his coursework for his private ministerial classes, from an agency supplied computer.”
In the Columbia County Personnel Policy Manual, under the section Outside Employment/Conflicts of Interest, it specifically states that employees are not to use county materials, including computers, for personal use.
Many of Patterson’s emails — sent from his county email account — match the names of sermons on Christ is King Ministries’ YouTube channel. In one of the emails, Patterson was corresponding with James Ostrander of Grace Church in Walla Walla about an outline for his sermon. The subject line is ‘Robbie Patterson Sunday"s notes’ [sic].
In one sermon written from his Sheriff’s office email, Patterson addressed the “sinners” in the congregation, saying: “...You've got everything else, you've got the schools, you've got the government, you've got entertainment; we can't even go to Disneyland and Target just takes [sic] us off so you've got everything. You've got everything. All we want is the church to be the church, the home for God's people.”
In another sermon (also sent from his work email) entitled ‘Faith to Overcome’, Patterson wrote: “Who is behind the crime wave sweeping our nation? Who is behind the secularism and woke-ness and the PC culture that is weakening the minds and distorting the intellect of thousands? It is Satan.”
Patterson gave the ‘Faith to Overcome’ sermon the following Sunday, also posting it to his YouTube channel, apparently unconcerned that people would see the Undersheriff equating some of the people he had vowed to ‘protect and serve’ with Satan.
Beyond blurred lines
Some emails received in the records request suggest that Patterson attended religious events while he was supposed to be on the job — when he was on active duty. One such email, dated April 29, 2022, reveals that Patterson was invited to a three-day Wild At Heart event put on by KC Kuykendall. Patterson replied with the following: “Hi K.C. It looks like the 17th-19th is ‘All Wheels weekend’ in Dayton and we will be all hands on deck… I may be able to drive out while on duty the 16th or 17th .” [emphasis added]
Eier said that this batch of records also shows Patterson attending Andrew Wommack Ministries’ Charis College while he was working for the county and being paid as a deputy.
Andrew Wommack and his religious school have deep ties to Christian Nationalism, as well as ‘Prosperity Gospel’ and ‘Seven Mountains Mandate’ teachings.
From Wikipedia: Wommack is one of the six co-founders of the Truth and Liberty Coalition, a dominionist organization that believes God has given Christians “a mandate to bring Godly change to our world, through the seven spheres of societal influence,” i.e., religion and faith; family; education; government and law; media, news and commentary; arts and entertainment; and business and economics. The other five co-founders are Lance Wallnau, Karen Conrad, David Barton, William J. ‘Bill’ Federer, and Richard Harris.
Under the influence of Andrew Wommack
Robbie Patterson works as both a paid Undersheriff and in the volunteer position of Chaplain. The lines of when Patterson is doing the job of Undersheriff and when he is acting as Chaplain appear to be blurry. The International Association of Police Chiefs has a 16-page document outlining what police Chaplains can and should do in their roles. Part of it reads:
A police Chaplain candidate’s qualifications should be supported with documentation from a recognized ecclesiastical body. For example, agencies may wish to require a letter from an established religious organization verifying the candidate’s good standing.
In 2020, Patterson applied to the Andrew Wommack Ministries’ Continuing Education for Ministers program. In the reference letter included in the application, Patterson said he had been the Chaplain for the sheriff’s office since 2016: “I provide spirtual [sic] support to the officers, inmates and citizens through counseling, teaching Bible studies and preaching the gospel in local Churches.”
In the application, Patterson also wrote:
“I was given an audio teaching from Andrew Wommack (You’ve Already Got It) that changed my life and ministry.
I was taught in seminary that we earned good things from God through good deeds (soul winning) and we had to constantly repent to ‘stay the wrath of God’. Along with numerous legalist teachings.
I absorbed all for [sic] Andrew’s teachings I could find and grew in my understanding of God’s Word and in my relationship with Him.
Needless to say that Andrew’s teachings from the Bible went against the cemetery [sic] training. I spoke with my overseers multiple times through the years about this and showed them in the Word but they were adamantly against it. Rather than cause strife in the organization my wife and I chose not to renew our minster’s [sic] licenses with them and I became a Law Enforcement Officer and eventually Chaplain for the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.”
So, Patterson was no longer with the church where he had previously held a minister's license, and was therefore unable to receive accreditation. In an email to Transworld, a nonprofit that accredits evangelical educational institutions, Patterson showed a fundamental lack of understanding of how accreditation works, writing:
It is not required but is preferred that Chaplains be affiliated, licensed or accredited with an organization. I personally must be with a Holy Spirit filled organization and Transworld is the best.
I have graduated and received my diploma from the National Police and Fire Chaplain Academy. I have also successfully completed all my classes with Charis Bible College (Andrew Wommack). I still need to do my foreign mission to receive my diploma from Charis. I am looking to receive licensing or accreditation through Transworld.
Transworld replied, explaining that they only accredited programs, not ministers. It was no surprise, then, that shortly afterward, Patterson decided to found his own church — Christ Is King Ministries — in order to remain in compliance with the rules for Chaplains. The church’s mission statement says:
We are called to proclaim the ‘Dominion of Jesus Christ’ of Christ Is King Ministries and partners on a worldwide scale through the local church and the use every available medium… [sic].
We are called to build an army of mature believers, bringing them from milk to meat, from religion to reality. We are called to train them to become skillful in the word of righteousness, to stand firm in the spiritual warfare against the kingdom of darkness.
Patterson was accepted into Andrew Wommack’s Continuing Education for Ministers program in November of 2020.
Patterson applied to work for Wommack in October 2023 as an entry level security officer. The fact that Patterson seemed willing to take a low-level position with Wommack just to be able to work for him, thus giving up his career in law enforcement, could be seen by some as unusual.
Andrew Wommack has plenty of monetization channels, including books, a YouTube channel, and a website that sells DVDs and pamphlets. His style of Christianity is fierce and in your face. In one of his pamphlets, ‘You’ve Already Got It!’, Wommack's preaching includes faith healing, and is liberally infused with references to spiritual warfare and the battlefield. Wommack says in one passage:
Instead of being a beggar, a pleader, a whiner, and a griper, you’ll become a commander. You’ll believe what God has said He’s done, and you’ll take your authority and begin commanding it to manifest. Instead of just praying for healing, you’ll command healing.
By March of 2024, Patterson had begun writing about witnessing miracles: “In the capacity of my job as a cop I am seeing more notable miracles than I have in pastoring and in traveling as an evangelist.”
Residents speak out
Several residents have written to complain to Sheriff Helm and Undersheriff Patterson about Patterson’s behavior, and about public Facebook posts and comments that Patterson has made. One woman wrote about one of Patterson’s Facebook posts, which called the people trying to stop an extremist group from closing the Dayton Library “sick people.” She wrote:
I’m reaching out to you directly to appeal to your sense of duty and service to the community. In addition to some of the choices you’ve made lately to make inflammatory statements while representing the sheriff’s office, someone shared a Facebook post with me wherein you said “sick local people” are supporting an “evil agenda”.... I can only assume that the “sick locals” are the people who oppose the removal of these books. That’s me. And that’s a lot of people in this community.
Are we all sick? If I support an evil agenda, are you now obligated to arrest me? If I’m in trouble and need help, are you less inclined to help me because I’m “evil” than you would someone who passes your litmus test? Are you going to try to take my kid away from me because my support of lgbtq and anti-racist resources makes me a “groomer”?
Considering that Patterson participates in religious activities while performing his job as Undersheriff, it is no wonder that members of the community who aren’t Christian feel threatened by Patterson’s rhetoric.
“We believe the resurrection of the dead, the eternal happiness of the saved, and the eternal punishment of the lost.” — From Christ is King’s statement of faith
Who does Patterson believe is lost and deserving of punishment?
Many community members have written letters to the editor complaining about Undersheriff Patterson’s behavior, and questioning its legitimacy.
Carolyn Henderson from Dayton wrote a letter to the Waitsburg Times, saying, in part:
The Freedom from Religion Foundation wrote to the sheriff’s office concerning this matter, claiming that this behavior is inappropriate, because such action violates the separation of church and state.
“There are a startling number of instances where Undersheriff Patterson has published videos of himself, to both YouTube and Facebook, wearing an official sheriff’s uniform while espousing claims that explicitly promote and favor Christianity,” the letter says.
According to the article, neither our public prosecutor, Dale Slack, nor present sheriff, Joe Helm, have issue with Mr. Patterson’s behavior. More disappointingly but not surprisingly, on various Facebook posts, a number of church-minded people not only see no problem with a public servant preaching a specific religious message, they also consider the very letter a form of persecution against Mr. Patterson.
Mr. Patterson is not a martyr, nor is he being attacked for his religious beliefs. What is at issue is whether or not it is appropriate for Mr. Patterson to preach a narrowly specific dogma while he is wearing company uniform, whether or not he is on duty. (According to Sheriff Helm, he was not.)
But if it is true that Mr. Patterson was off duty in the various instances in which he preached in county sheriff uniform, this begs the question, are deputies under Mr. Helm permitted to wear their work uniform when they are not on duty? On duty or off, the wearing of the uniform implies that whatever message is publicly preached is done with the blessing and approval of the sheriff’s department.
What if Mr. Patterson’s message were different? What if Mr. Patterson were preaching tenets of Islam, or Confucianism, or transgender pride, or atheism? Is this permissible under Mr. Helm’s aegis? The aforementioned are all belief systems as well; at what point do we say, “Mr. Patterson, while wearing the sheriff’s uniform and thereby representing the sheriff’s department, may preach about this belief system, but not that one?” Perhaps Mr. Helm can elucidate.
Ted Paterson, who lived in Dayton for 24 years and worked in law enforcement for over 28 years, wrote a letter to Sheriff Helm and Undersheriff Patterson, also, saying in part:
I have read and totally support your Vision, Mission, Values, and Goals established for your Department. With that said, I take exception to Deputy Patterson wearing what appeared to be a uniform shirt with his Name and a Columbia County embroidered Sheriff’s Badge as a speaker at a recent event near the Dayton Depot. After reviewing a video of the speech, I found no relationship between his political views/words, Biblical and Constitutional references, and your department’s Vision, Mission, Values, Goals, and law enforcement responsibilities to the Community. It begs the question: Was Deputy Patterson on duty?
What happened to the sayings “When you wear the Badge, you’re always on duty” and “What you do and say reflects on your Department and Community”!
As a past member of the law enforcement profession I continue to support and uphold the uniform and badge in high esteem. I strongly feel that Deputy Patterson was wrong when he wore the Badge while speaking or preaching on a matter of his personal, biblical or political beliefs and interests? Additionally, by wearing the embroidered badge, his words and personal view represented that of the Sheriff’s Department and Government of Columbia County.
Patterson said that he never received a response to his letter.
Theresa Eier also wrote a letter to the Editor of the Waitsburg Times to share her concerns after attending the Sheriff’s candidate forum on 9/26/22. The letter reads, in part:
Our Sheriff’s Department has a code of ethics signed by every officer. Historically, most police ethics focus on the relationship between the police and the public. What an officer does off duty weighs as heavily on the public as what they do on duty.
A section of the Columbia County’s Sheriff’s office code of ethics states:
“While I consider the way I choose to conduct my private affairs a personal freedom, I accept the responsibilities for my actions, as well as inactions, while on-duty or off duty, when those actions bring disrepute on the public image of my employer, my fellow officers, and the law enforcement profession.…
I will affirmatively seek ways to avoid conflicts and potential conflicts of interest that could compromise my official authority or public image.”
That said, Undersheriff Patterson appears to violate the code of ethics he signed and the Columbia County personnel policy. Undersheriff Patterson is an “at-will employee” and he is subject to disciplinary action as cited on page 16 of the manual under examples of inappropriate activities:
“Use of religious, political and fraternal influence.”
I have read publicly requested email correspondence between community members concerned by Undersheriff Patterson’s and Sheriff’s behavior over the last three months, expressing fear and distrust for law enforcement. None of these emails have been answered by the Sheriff.
As a public servant, I found the expressed concerns heartbreaking and the lack of response abhorrent.
Protecting the public and maintaining safety is the primary responsibility of law enforcement officers. The public should not be concerned with the religion of its peace officers or fear that their speaking out against these officers could put them in danger. Robbie Patterson calls himself a radical. The community of Columbia County should be aware of who they are paying to patrol their streets.
A lifelong resident of Eastern Washington, Dori enjoys the outdoors, her family, and making good trouble. She has worked for many years in broadcasting and reporting and believes in the value of the 4th estate. She is a true community advocate that loves Washington.
