King County Assessor John Wilson suspends county executive campaign following stalking arrest

Just over a week following his arrest in Seattle, King County Assessor John Wilson has announced he's suspending his campaign for county executive.

Wilson was arrested outside of his ex-fiancée's home last week on suspicion of stalking, and is accused of violating a restraining order. He has not yet been charged.

RELATED: No charges yet, but stalking investigation ongoing against King County assessor following arrest

"In recent weeks, personal matters have drawn attention away from the critical issues that deserve the public’s full focus — issues like public safety, housing affordability, and fair taxation. I believe it is in the best interest of the community to remove any distractions from that conversation," Wilson wrote in a statement.

Wilson will not step down from his position as county assessor, he added.

His name will still appear on King County ballots for the Aug. 5 primary.

Wilson was already lagging behind two frontrunners in the race — King County councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay — when a scandal broke in May: His ex-fiancée Lee Keller, a radio reporter turned political and public affairs communications consultant, filed a restraining order against him and alleged he'd stalked her in the past, showing up at an undisclosed address and bursting in to kiss her.

RELATED: 'Stormy' relationship or stalking? King County assessor faces resignation calls over restraining order

The King County Council voted 'no confidence' in Wilson as assessor, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Interim County Executive Shannon Braddock, and Democratic State Sen. Manka Dhingra called on him to resign. The union representing the appraisers he oversees as assessor —Teamsters Local 736 — rescinded its endorsement of him.

On July 3, Wilson was allegedly spotted by neighbors outside Keller's home. Keller called the police and as an officer was interviewing her, Wilson pulled up again in his vehicle, according to the officer's report.

RELATED: King County assessor arrested at home of ex-fiancée amid stalking investigation

Wilson quickly tried to leave, the police report said, but the officer pulled Wilson over and questioned him about being there. Wilson said he was looking at buying a houseboat, according to the report, and the officer arrested him.

The case has been taken on by Snohomish County prosecutors, who declined to rush-file charges but are still investigating. A judge originally ordered Wilson to surrender any weapons, but that condition has been lifted.