Prosecutors did not file criminal charges Tuesday as they continue to review evidence against King County Assessor John Wilson, who was arrested last week on allegations that he repeatedly drove to his ex-fiancée’s house in violation of a restraining order.
At this time, the state is declining to file charges against Mr. Wilson," a prosecutor said in King County District Court on Tuesday afternoon.
But, prosecutors said, they are still reviewing evidence and have not made a final decision on whether to file charges.
The Snohomish County prosecutor's office is handling the case, to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest, as the King County prosecutor represents the county assessor's office in civil cases.
"The case is still under investigation, we're reviewing it, we still have information coming in from the Seattle Police Department," said Rebecca Vasquez, a Snohomish County deputy prosecuting attorney. "The case has not been declined for felony filing."
Vasquez said she didn't have a timeline for making a final charging decision.
Wilson, who has been in elected office for a decade and is a candidate for King County executive, has been free on $50,000 bail. District Court Judge Jill Klinge said Tuesday she would sign an order lifting all conditions that had been placed on his release.
Wilson continues to be under a temporary restraining order, as he has been since May, when his former fiancée, Lee Keller, a prominent local public affairs consultant, accused him of a pattern of stalking and harassment.
Keller also took out a restraining order against Wilson last year, accusing him of making a false report to the police and of falsely accusing her former boyfriend of sexual assault, before withdrawing it after the two reconciled.
Things came to a head last week, when Keller called Seattle police at least twice, alleging Wilson drove to her home and sat outside in his car, in violation of the restraining order.
The second time, when the officer was speaking with Keller outside, Wilson arrived again, according to the police report. As he neared, he stopped, then quickly turned around and began to drive away, according to the report. The officer got in his own car and pulled him over. Wilson told the officer he had "official business" in the neighborhood and was looking to buy a home.
Wilson was arrested on investigation of stalking and violating a court order and booked into King County Jail.
Keller also called police in Olympia after she said she saw Wilson looking into the windows of her car at the state Capitol, where both she and Wilson had attended a memorial service for former Secretary of State Ralph Munro.
Security footage showed Wilson next to her vehicle, according to the police report from the Washington State Patrol.
“I’m afraid to leave my home, I’m afraid in grocery stores, I’m afraid when I attend events for business. I go out of my way to avoid places that I think he might be, but I can’t get away from him,” Keller, her voice breaking, said last week at the hearing where a judge set bail for Wilson. “He’s taunting me and tracking me on social media.”
The two have been registered domestic partners since 2023, but have filed to dissolve the partnership five times. The first four times they changed course and dismissed the dissolution attempts. Keller filed for a dissolution a fifth time in May and, at the same time, filed for the restraining order, writing that she feared Wilson would lash out.
"I have never stalked, harassed, or threatened Ms. Keller," Wilson said in a statement issued by his campaign last month. "I have never engaged in any form of domestic violence.
The Metropolitan King County Council voted unanimously last month to express no confidence in Wilson and to call for his resignation. Wilson accused the council, two members of which are running for county executive against him, of trying to force him from office for political reasons and said he would not resign.
In June, Wilson tried to have the restraining order dismissed, but a judge refused. Wilson had argued that Keller, a prominent local public affairs consultant, had asked him for financial support and only went through with the restraining order after he refused.
Keller has also filed a motion to hold Wilson in contempt of the restraining order. She accused him of posting her image on social media, calling her after the restraining order was filed, texting her hundreds of times, coming to her house and tracking her whereabouts, including showing up at her church and at professional functions she was attending.
On Monday, at a court hearing on whether to extend the restraining order, a court commissioner agreed to Wilson's request to delay the decision for 90 days to see how the criminal case progressed. The restraining order will remain in effect during that time.
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