Former Chelan County deputy alleges religious discrimination forced him to resign
SPOKANE – A one-time deputy in the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office is suing his former employer in federal court, alleging that he was harassed and discriminated because he no longer attended the same church as several top officers.
Aaron Shepard alleges the sheriff’s office did nothing to stop religious discrimination against him that occurred from 2016-22, according to the complaint filed Monday in the Eastern District Court of Washington.
The alleged harassment and discrimination began in 2016 after Shepard left Grace City Church and divorced his then-wife, who was “heavily involved” in the church, according to the lawsuit.
His departure from the church and his divorce came after the sheriff’s office promoted a 12-week marriage counseling program by the church in 2015, according to the lawsuit.
The sheriff’s office created a video including then-Sheriff Brian Burnett and other law enforcement officers in uniform talking about the marriage counseling retreat, according to the complaint.
“The (Sheriff’s Office) continued to instruct and indeed order (Shepard) to attend the marriage counseling at (the church) until the level of proselytizing in Grace City Church” became too “overbearing and uncomfortable” for Shepard to withstand, according to the lawsuit.
Shepard alleges that the sheriff’s office promoted the church’s marriage counseling “wholly by religious considerations because of their religious faith-based approach to management of (the Sheriff’s Office).”
He claimed that in doing so the sheriff’s office violated the Establishment Clause, a part of the Constitution’s First Amendment, prohibiting the government from promoting any religious point of view, according to the lawsuit.
The sheriff’s office also allegedly violated Shepard’s rights as an employee to not be discriminated against on the basis of religion as he claims the sheriff’s office retaliated because Shepard left the church and divorced his then-wife.
Shepard also claimed the sheriff’s office retaliated against him by passing on him for promotions, attempting to “blacklist” him from being able to work elsewhere in law enforcement, and with “pervasive bullying and harassment,” according to the lawsuit from 2016 to 2022 when he finally resigned.
Shepard said he reported the harassment and bullying to leadership within the department as well as to other agencies, but nothing was done in response to his complaints, according to the lawsuit.
He even reported the religious discrimination claims to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to the lawsuit.
But the EEOC said it would not investigate his claims of discrimination, which does not necessarily mean his claims were without merit, according to the lawsuit.
It is not clear in the lawsuit why the commission did not investigate further and made no determination on the issue.
Shepard is arguing the harassment and bullying inflicted “emotional distress” – causing him to take antidepressants due to being unable to sleep – and so should be compensated for damages and attorney’s fees.
He is also arguing that he was “constructively terminated” through all the “harassment, ridicule and denied advancement,” and so is also seeking damages for a wrongful discharge since conditions were intolerable and was forced to resign in 2022.
Nicole Shepard, Aaron Shepard’s wife, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
This lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal battles in federal court which have alleged a host of discriminatory or retaliatory actions among officers at the sheriff’s office.
Two other former employees of the sheriff’s office, Jennifer Tyler and Mike Harris, have also filed lawsuits against the sheriff’s office related to discrimination or wrongful termination.
Jill FitzSimmons, Chelan County spokesperson, said in an email the county does not comment on pending litigation.