EPHRATA — An Ephrata Police Department officer claims former Fourth Congressional District candidate Gavin Seim’s actions during an Aug. 17 encounter came across as threatening and made him feel uncomfortable.

Seim, 32, of Ephrata, was arrested for harassment and obstruction of a law enforcement officer Aug. 17 following an altercation with EPD Officer Patrick Canady at the Ephrata Walmart. Canady’s report of the incident states he had stopped a vehicle in the Walmart parking lot for a taillight violation and parked his patrol vehicle in such a way that it was partially blocking the main drive through area of the parking lot.

In a Facebook Live video posted by Seim after his arrest he claimed Canady was “harassing some woman in her pickup truck” and “trying to be cool.”

“Seim has a history of confronting law enforcement while using his cell phone to record the confrontation. Seim often disseminates these videos on social media and/or YouTube after he edits them. I have watched Seim’s videos in the past and he has advised in his videos that he will not listen to the police and will not go by the state’s gun laws and restrictions,” wrote Canady.

Canady says Seim walked around the vehicle he had stopped and began confronting him about the way his patrol car was parked and for “harassing” and “collecting from the public.” In his Facebook Live video Seim admits to telling Canady to stop harassing people, stop blocking the road and to leave the parking lot, which is in tune with Canady’s report of the incident.

“At first, I did not know how to take this from Seim. I have had multiple contacts with Seim in the past. I felt very uncomfortable with his aggressive demeanor and his demands which I had not seen from Seim before. I took the demands as threats that if I did not do what he was requesting, something was going to happen to me,” Canady wrote.

Canady reportedly told Seim multiple times to step back and go to his vehicle, which he refused to do. The officer says he spoke with Seim outside of his patrol car, but Seim still refused to go back to his vehicle. Seim eventually returned to his vehicle and was contacted after Canady’s backup arrived.

After he was informed he was under arrest, Seim told the officers to “hold on” so he could record them. Seim allegedly started to record on his phone and unlocked the door. Canady seized Seim’s phone after he stepped out of his vehicle and took him into custody. Seim was released from the Grant County Jail after posting a $2,000 bond. Canady obtained a search warrant for Seim’s phone from Judge David Estudillo, but the phone was inaccessible due to password protection.

In his report of the incident Canady notes he and Seim have had several testy encounters in the past. Canady detailed encounters with Seim in December 2014, August 2015 and Aug. 2 2017. Seim says his arrest was personal and Canady “just didn’t like being challenged.”

“I think frankly this is a vengeance thing for Canady. He saw an opportunity to get even because his thuggery is exposed. Right, because people know that he is a robber and a thief and an extortioner and a kidnapper for a living,” Seim said.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.