Omak man arrested for threatening sheriffs

OMAK — A 23-year-old Omak man was arrested for making threats against a number of Washington county sheriffs in conjunction with a ballot initiative approved in November.

Okanogan County Sheriff deputies arrested Jaydin Ledford Wednesday morning, said Okanogan County Sheriff Tony Hawley. Ledford was charged with harassment (threats to kill) and attempting to intimidate law enforcement.

Because it involved law enforcement, the case was investigated by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force along with the OCSO and Omak Police Department. Ledford has been transferred to federal custody, Hawley said.

The investigation was triggered by a threat posted Feb. 4 on Ledford’s personal Facebook page, Hawley said. It followed an announcement by a number of Washington sheriffs, including Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones, that they would not enforce the regulations connected with Initiative 1639 until a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality was heard by the courts.

“I-1639 is law,” the post said. “Sheriffs that are non-compliant will be shot. By me.” The post also threatened Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich by name, saying Knezovich “is gonna get a bullet in his skull.”

“There was also a post saying ‘I really want to kill a police officer,’” Hawley wrote. The sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies in the state were notified of the threats and police began investigating, Hawley said.

“We learned early on that Ledford was a resident in Omak.” But he didn’t have any arrests locally, Hawley said. “We’d had a few contacts with him, but nothing that amounted to criminal activity.”

A search warrant was served on his house at about 11:50 a.m. Wednesday, and Ledford was arrested without incident.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.