King County Assessor John Wilson pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of violating a court order, nine months after he was arrested outside of his ex-fiancée’s home and accused of stalking her.
The criminal case continues a yearslong saga that thwarted Wilson's campaign for King County executive, will soon end his decade-plus in public office and has drawn widespread calls for his resignation.
Wilson was arrested July 2 after his ex-fiancée called police to report that Wilson was in his car outside her Seattle home, in violation of a no-contact order. Wilson had been under a temporary protection order — his second since 2024 — after she had accused him of a pattern of stalking and harassment.
Wilson was released on personal recognizance Wednesday but was ordered to have no contact with his ex-fiancée and to stay 1,000 feet away from her home and workplace. He will have GPS monitoring to enforce the 1,000-foot restriction.
I want to emphasize, no contact means absolutely no contact, no text messages, no in-person visits, no having third-party messages sent on your behalf," Seattle Municipal Court Judge Pro Tem Noah Weil told Wilson.
"I am more than happy to comply with the no contact," Wilson, appearing on video, said.
Wilson was also ordered to possess no weapons; he told the court he owns no firearms.
Wilson's ex-fiancée, Lee Keller, a prominent local public affairs consultant, appeared in person in court to urge the judge to impose the no-contact order.
"I'm grateful that they did what they did," Keller said after the hearing. "And he needs to stay away, and hopefully he hears that this time."
Wilson's attorney, John Polito, said Wilson has "no criminal history whatsoever."
"There is much more to this on again, off again, on again, off again, et cetera relationship than meets the eye and ear of scandalously selective media sound bites," Polito wrote in an email. Wilson, he wrote, "is entitled to the same constitutional right to due process afforded anyone else in cases involving their own personal lives."
The charges — violation of a no-contact order (domestic violence) — are gross misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Wilson, who has been the elected county assessor for more than a decade, had been running for King County executive at the time of his arrest. He later dropped his campaign and announced he would not run for another term as assessor.
Keller has twice filed for no-contact orders. After the first order was granted in May 2024, the two reconciled. But she filed for another protective order in May 2025. In court filings for that order, she included screenshots of text messages with Wilson, in which she says their relationship is done, and he persists.
“The scariest message was one where I said, ‘LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!’ and he responded, ‘NEVER,’ ” she wrote.
The previous filing for a protective order against Wilson accused him of stalking, harassment, making a false report to police and falsely accusing her former boyfriend of sexual assault.
According to a police report, Keller called 911 on July 2 after a neighbor told her they'd seen Wilson outside her home.
After police arrived and were speaking with Keller, they wrote, Wilson drove toward them before stopping, quickly turning around and leaving.
The officer pulled Wilson over. According to the report, Wilson said he knew about the restraining order but was there on “official business” and was looking to buy a home in the area.
The Metropolitan King County Council last year voted unanimously to call for Wilson to resign. The County Council has no official power to force Wilson from office. He could be removed by a recall petition, a lengthy and multistep process, or if he is convicted of a felony or other crime “pertinent to the incumbent’s office,” according to the county charter.
Wilson did drop his campaign for county executive, announced he would not seek another term as assessor and publicly apologized to his ex-fiancée.
A County Council spokesperson said members are preparing legislation to again call for his resignation at their next council meeting in two weeks.
"You have been embroiled in a domestic violence dispute for over two years, accused of stalking and harassing a King County resident," Councilmembers Claudia Balducci, Jorge Barón, Reagan Dunn and Sarah Perry wrote in a letter to Wilson two weeks ago after charges were filed. "When an elected official breaks the public trust like this, it’s not possible to effectively serve the public and execute the duties of their office."
The four council members wrote that they had not yet sought signatures from their colleagues, to comply with open meetings laws, but would do so at a future meeting.
"You have continued to demonstrate a profound lack of judgement, a disregard for the safety and wellbeing of King County residents, and disrespect for the trust King County residents have awarded you," they wrote. "These shocking allegations impact your ability to execute the duties you were elected to perform.
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