Police claim WA senate candidate ‘directed’ stalking of Tri-City opponent’s family
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Trevor Delorme was arrested after being found outside state Sen. Nikki Torres' home.
- Police documents allege Gabe Galbraith coordinated surveillance and requested photos.
- Police say Behen assisted planning, proposed deceptive pretexts and intrusive measures.
Kennewick’s school board president and one of his campaign staffers are under investigation for allegedly helping a man stalk his political opponent.
A Pasco police report obtained by the Herald on Thursday says Gabe Galbraith and Benson Behen with the Benton County Republican Party are part of an open criminal investigation into claims of harassment and stalking of state Sen. Nikki Torres.
Trevor Delorme, 21, of Kennewick, appeared in court last week on stalking charges after he was caught outside a home owned by Torres.
The investigation says Galbraith paid him $80 for gas money and phone records allege he “coordinated and directed operations” and “requested photos” of his opponent’s family vehicles.
Galbraith is challenging Torres in the 8th Legislative District senate race. Both are Republicans.
The investigatory police records are shedding new light into Delorme’s alleged relationship with Galbraith and his campaign aide as a group of Republicans tried to gather evidence to disqualify Torres from seeking office. The Herald obtained the records through an anonymous source and verified their authenticity with police.
After Delorme’s arrest in April, he gave a jailhouse call to someone close to the Benton County Republican Party.
Behen, the future party secretary, answered on the other line, according to the reports.
Delorme gave Behen the bad news. He had been caught outside the home owned by Torres, and police arrested him later at his home.
He asked Behen if he and others would help out with bail. Behen said they would figure something out if he wasn’t released.
Delorme then told Behen police had seized his cell phone.
“Oh shit,” Behen allegedly said to Delorme over the phone. Delorme expressed frustration, but Behen assured him they would be in support of him.
As Delorme was taken into police custody on April 30, Behen — in a group message between the two and Gabe Galbraith — told him to “not mention anything related to the campaign Gabe or myself if u can.”
“Will do,” Delorme reportedly said before his arrest.
“Behen then changed the setting on their messages to delete after 30 seconds,” said the reports.
Neither Galbraith nor Behen could be reached Thursday afternoon about the allegations in the reports. Pasco police say the case remains active, and no other information could be provided.
Galbraith is president of the Kennewick School Board, and he’s also campaigning for state Senate for the seat occupied by Kennewick Republican Matt Boehnke, who is seeking a different office.
Galbraith is endorsed by the Benton County Republican Party for Washington’s 8th Legislative District Senate seat.
Police reviewed at least 91 photos of “surveillance” from Delorme’s cell phone. The photos were taken of a Pasco house, its occupants — Torres’ daughter and granddaughter — and her daughter’s vehicle.
Galbraith’s phone also allegedly sent Delorme’s phone $80 through Apple Cash with the message: “Used the whole tank of gas this time,” said the police report.
“Text communications between the parties had Delorme requesting thought for a position with the political group,” said the report.
Police say in the documents that the conversation, financial transfer and GPS location “established that the group had conducted multi-day physical surveillance on (Torres’ daughter) due to an identification error and that Galbraith funded the operation.”
Torres’ adult daughter would go on to tell officers that she was “deeply scared for her safety and the safety of her child as a direct result of these subjects’ continuous physical surveillance around her home,” documents read.
A ‘literal spy,’ trash raids and flower deliveries
The report said Delorme allegedly performed physical surveillance on the ground, including driving by of the home.
Behen allegedly assisted Galbraith in coordinating the operations, suggested using a data broker to check vehicle registrations and provided legal references and advice throughout the surveillance, said the report.
Behen reportedly planned to track the home’s trash pickups and explicitly proposed they “should probably raid her trash” to secure information, documents say.
The group also weighed what police called “multiple deceptive pretexts and highly intrusive measures” at the home.
They discussed sending an “operative” under the “guise of a ‘sales thing,’” with plans to print out fake business cards. Behen reportedly suggested using his family’s flower business to execute a fake “flower delivery.”
“The plan involved sending a female associate, referred to as ‘my girl,’ to deliver an item to Senator Nikki Torres’ house while wearing a body camera or GoPro to record the interaction as an ‘eyewitness,’” said the report.
Behen allegedly proposed using a Richland City Council candidate, whom he identified as a “professional ‘literal spy’” who would “’stand outside her crib,’” said police descriptions of the messages read.
“To establish a consistent watch, Behen directed Trevor to maintain a persistent physical presence at the target location, specifying times such as 1000 hours, 0700 hours, and 0630 hours,” documents read. “Behen described this physical presence as the ‘most integral thing at this point,’ noting that while daytime surveillance was optional, it would serve to ‘strengthen’ their case.”
Behen later told Delorme to “kick it into overdrive” so they could get Torres on camera. Police say the communications indicated “a tight deadline” to gather evidence before Torres filed paperwork to formally run in early May.
“He ordered Delorme to gather ‘as many pictures as you possibly (can) get’ and collect physical evidence such as ‘mail if possible.’ He emphasized that they needed to do everything possible to capture Senator Nikki Torres on camera,” documents read.
Redistricting shakeup
Delorme, who is facing a gross misdemeanor stalking charge in Franklin County District Court, has previously told the Tri-City Herald that he was gathering evidence to file a voter registration challenge against Torres.
The home involved in the stalking case is owned by Torres but rented out to her daughter and granddaughter. Torres lived at the address when she served on the Pasco City Council.
The state senator has resided in Pasco for 47 years, but she was living at an address north of the city when she ran and was elected in the 15th Legislative District.
She’s represented that district for three years in the Washington Legislature.
After a redistricting battle in federal court changed legislative boundaries and drew her out of that district, she contemplated running for other seats before again moving to a different home on Road 64 in February to be within the 8th Legislative District.
Some Republicans have tried to prove that Torres does not live on Road 64, invalidating her candidacy and ensuring Galbraith wins election.
Delorme said he’s meant no harm to Torres or her family, and previously called the stalking charge “bogus.”
He said the Galbraith campaign offered some guidance and answered his questions about the challenge process.
“I did nothing wrong,” he told the Herald.
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Police claim WA senate candidate ‘directed’ stalking of Tri-City opponent’s family."
