Bob Ferguson is sworn in as the 24th Governor of the State of Washington during his inauguration ceremony Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (Photo by Ryan Berry/Washington State Standard)
Prosecutors allege a Washington state man repeatedly posted “veiled death threats” to Gov. Bob Ferguson on social media, including pictures of the front door of the governor’s home.
Casey Cutter Patterson, 34, is also accused of posting a picture of an AR-15 in August and referring to Ferguson’s security detail. A search warrant revealed he’d requested public records about the “personal security detail” of Ferguson’s predecessor, former Gov. Jay Inslee.
Patterson is charged with making “threats against governor or family” as well as intimidating a public servant. Both are felony charges. He remained in county jail Thursday.
At his arraignment Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty.
Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail for Patterson at $200,000. McInvaille also issued a no-contact order barring Patterson from trying to communicate with Ferguson for 10 years.
The charges come amid increasing concerns over the safety of elected officials and political figures, after the killings this year of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and Minnesota state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
On Oct. 5, a man reportedly dealing with mental health issues broke into the state Capitol and committed vandalism inside, according to charges. No one was injured.
Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said this month that a staffer at the Washington State Fusion Center had been tasked with focusing on potential threats to Washington state lawmakers.
Patterson, of Lakewood, started replying to Ferguson’s social media posts when Ferguson was state attorney general, according to criminal charges filed this month in Pierce County Superior Court.
In one response, Patterson reportedly told the Democrat, who was running for governor at the time, that he was “coming for your lunch money” and “I’m going to make you cry.”
At first, the defendant’s posts appeared to be protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, according to charging papers. They were more like those of an upset constituent.
But his rhetoric escalated, prosecutors allege.
In March 2024, Patterson told Ferguson on social media, “You’re a criminal, and we’re going to treat you like one,” with a picture of the front door to the now-governor’s home, according to the charges.
At first, Washington State Patrol investigators couldn’t tell if Patterson took the photo or obtained it by other means. However, they later determined the suspect had taken the photo himself.
A state patrol lieutenant called Patterson to tell him the posts with Ferguson’s front door were concerning to authorities and the then-attorney general.
“Mr. Ferguson does not want to be contacted, follow, tracked, or monitored in his personal life,” the lieutenant reportedly told Patterson.
Patterson was agreeable, telling the lieutenant he didn’t threaten Ferguson, according to court papers.
After that call, Patterson stopped replying to Ferguson’s posts for months. Though he resumed in late November 2024, after Ferguson had been elected governor, the charges say.
In response to an X post about the governor-elect, Patterson wrote, “I know he’s worried about his address, which is public information. He had WSP contact me for tweeting a picture of his front door. I’m going to keep tweeting it,” according to the charges.
“Bob Ferguson might have me blocked from both of his accounts on here, but I hope he sees this,” Patterson reportedly posted two days later, with pictures of Ferguson’s door and his address taken from public records filed with the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Over the next couple months, Patterson posted the pictures multiple times, prosecutors allege.
Once Ferguson took office in January, he got a new official X account, where Patterson wasn’t blocked. So the suspect began replying to Ferguson’s posts again, according to court documents.
“I’m going to throw out a hypothetical,” Patterson reportedly responded in one example. “If the people of Washington came to collect for the crimes you’ve committed, how confident are you with your Personal Security Detail?”
For months, he posted veiled threats to Ferguson, the charges say. In August, for example, the defendant wrote to the governor on X that he was “going to bully the [expletive] out of you, and I know where you live.”
The posts started mentioning guns in October, according to the charges. In one case, he wrote, “we have more guns than you, and we know where you live. [Expletive] around and find out.”
In another he says “we have more guns than you and your [Washington State Patrol security detail], and we know where you live.”
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“Patterson’s posts have escalated over time and show that he has made substantial steps toward threatening behavior,” a Washington State Patrol detective wrote in a police report. “Based on the totality of the evidence, Patterson’s repeated posts, imagery, and statements directed at Governor Ferguson appear to constitute a credible threat intended to cause fear and potential harm.”
On Monday, authorities arrested Patterson via warrant because they feared he would turn to violence if issued a court summons to appear in his criminal case.
A LinkedIn profile that matches Patterson’s name and photo on X indicates he is a former hospital corpsman with the U.S. Navy and has worked in security since 2019.
Spokespeople for the governor and Washington State Patrol didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges.
