Snoqualmie, a small Seattle suburb that’s seen major leadership shakeups and recent criticism over its treatment of women, fired its police chief last month for sexual comments and violations of workplace conduct standards, newly released records reveal.
Prompted by an anonymous email complaint to the city on Feb. 3 that accused then-Police Chief Brian Lynch of favoritism, leadership issues and misconduct within the police department, an external investigation found Lynch repeatedly referred to women as “bitches,” rated women’s looks on a numerical scale, and made sexualized comments about female employees, such as stating that a female police officer recruit should not be hired because she “could not keep her legs together.”
Lynch “strenuously denied” making that comment, but the investigator said it was “clearly recalled” by two witnesses, according to an executive summary report obtained by InvestigateWest.
The investigator also found that Lynch suggested a school resource officer would be giving a new recruit a “blow job” for taking an open job. And the report described another instance where Lynch asked an employee with a c-shaped curve in her hand requiring surgery if she hurt it “jerking off” her husband. In response, one staff member who heard the comment “got up abruptly and left the room in disgust,” according to the summary report.
Lynch explained away such comments by telling the investigator that he “jokes in the workplace to relieve the stress of police work, and he is not alone in his communications.” Through his attorney, Lynch declined to comment for this article.
Snoqualmie Mayor Katherine Ross concluded that Lynch’s behavior amounted to “clear, egregious, and continued violations of the City’s standards of conduct and harassment policy,” according to a notice of termination sent by Ross to Lynch on April 10.
Snoqualmie, a town of about 13,500, takes pride in being one of the safest cities in Washington. Snoqualmie Communications Coordinator Danna McCall told InvestigateWest in an email statement that the city “is committed to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination and harassment.” But the investigation raises continued questions about the male-dominated police department’s treatment of women, an issue that InvestigateWest highlighted earlier this year in its reporting about the city’s handling of sexual assault cases.
Snoqualmie’s announcement in February that Lynch was being investigated came just hours after InvestigateWest published an investigation about a rape survivor in Snoqualmie who — after relentlessly demanding answers about her unsolved case — was taken to court by the city for harassment. The city has since brought another criminal charge against the woman, Sharilyn Lux, over the same matter, this time for allegedy cyber harassmentg stemming from emails sent by Lux containing many vulgar phrases directed at Lynch and Mayor Ross.
Meanwhile, Lux’s attorney, Isham Reavis, began representing another Snoqualmie woman who’s facing criminal charges over her criticisms of the police. The city argues that the woman’s online comments about police misconduct violate a protection order that a Snoqualmie police officer has against her, according to the criminal citation.
“This is not the first time I have represented a woman who is being apparently prosecuted for speaking out against city government,” Reavis said in an Issaquah Municipal Court hearing in early May. “It is becoming a concerning trend.”
Blocked information
The external investigator from multinational law firm Ogletree Deakins looked into allegations of gender bias, hostile work environment, favoritism, leadership issues and general misconduct within the police department, according to the executive summary of the investigation.
In addition to harassment findings, the investigation found that Lynch’s behavior often blurred the lines of personal and professional responsibilities. He spent a lot of time on social media and routinely socialized with subordinates outside of work, including attending Mariners games, church, family gatherings, holiday parties, a fantasy football draft party and venues where Lynch plays guitar in a band, according to the summary report.
Although Lynch described events like this as “much needed ‘team building,’” the investigator noted that they sometimes overlapped with work hours. For example, at least one officer was allowed to go to a fantasy football draft party at Lynch’s home while on duty, the report says. An officer was also approved by Lynch to attend a morning men’s prayer group at a church in Snoqualmie “more than a dozen times (in uniform and while on duty),” according to the report.
Lynch became chief in 2023 after the previous chief resigned at the mayor’s request— a matter that the city has refused to discuss with reporters. Lynch’s departure means that Snoqualmie is now onto its fourth police chief in nine years.
Police Capt. Gary Horejsi and Sgt. Jason Weiss were also identified as subjects in the workplace investigation, but the allegations against them were unfounded by the investigator, according to letters sent by City Administrator Mike Chambless to Horejsi and Weiss. Horejsi is now serving as interim chief.
After Snoqualmie announced Lynch’s termination in a press release on April 11, the city received public records requests from a dozen people asking for information about the investigation, according to Snoqualmie’s records. But until May 23, the neighboring city of North Bend was the only requestor outside of Snoqualmie city staff to receive the executive summary of the investigation, which it requested on April 7 and got on April 24, according to North Bend City Clerk Susie Oppedal.
The other requestors were blocked from getting the information after Lynch, through his attorney, filed a motion in King County Superior Court on May 9 asking to stop the cities from releasing the records.
Under Washington’s Public Records Act, a court can block a record from being released if the court finds it would clearly not be in the public interest and would “substantially and irreparably damage any person.” Citing this law, Lynch’s attorney, Marcus Morissette, argued that releasing the records would pose a risk of harm to Lynch’s reputation, create a risk of harassment and negatively impact Lynch’s ability to obtain future employment. Morissette also argued that the records’ release would interfere with a separate King County Superior Court case in which Lynch sued the City of Snoqualmie for wrongful employment termination. That case is ongoing.
A hearing requested for Tuesday, May 27, would have decided the next steps for Lynch’s records case. But on May 23, a few days before the hearing, Morissette withdrew the motion, enabling Snoqualmie and North Bend to release the records. Snoqualmie began doing so later that day.
Transparency and trust
The leadership change isn’t the only shakeup happening in the Snoqualmie Police Department. On May 6, the North Bend City Council voted unanimously to end its 14-year policing partnership with Snoqualmie, in which North Bend paid Snoqualmie to provide police services for its population of about 8,300 people.
Per the agreement between the cities, North Bend paid Snoqualmie about $2.5 million in 2024 for police services. Snoqualmie proposed a significant increase in cost for 2025 to about $4 million. After evaluating alternative options, North Bend decided to start partnering instead with the King County Sheriff’s Office.
While the North Bend City Council noted that the decision was based on financial considerations, several council members also highlighted concerns in the May 6 meeting about communication, transparency and trust with Snoqualmie.
“Snoqualmie placed the Police Chief on administrative leave without providing any explanation to North Bend for this change in status,” wrote Kendra Rosenberg, an attorney for North Bend, in an email to Snoqualmie’s city attorney in February. “This lack of communication understandably raises concerns and is seen as inconsistent with the spirit of good faith discussions regarding police services provided by Snoqualmie to North Bend.”
In response to these transparency concerns, McCall, the Snoqualmie communications coordinator, told InvestigateWest that the administrations of each city met on average two to three times per month, and North Bend and Snoqualmie staff members communicated even more frequently. “Information was shared as quickly as possible,” McCall wrote in an email statement.
Snoqualmie says that the changes in its police department should not cause concerns about public safety.
“Snoqualmie residents and businesses will continue to benefit from the outstanding responsiveness and professionalism of our Police Department,” McCall said, emphasizing that police service levels within Snoqualmie are expected to increase because the city is no longer sharing a sergeant position with North Bend.
When asked how Snoqualmie plans to navigate the impacts of the changes, the city’s answer was simple: “As the service increases, we anticipate our ranking among Washington’s safest cities to rise.”
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