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

King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson was arrested by Seattle police Wednesday night and booked into the county jail under investigation of stalking, records show. He's accused of violating a restraining order filed by his ex-fiancée Lee Keller, and the police arrested Wilson outside Keller's home.

A judge set Wilson's bail at $50,000 and ordered him to surrender any weapons during a hearing Thursday afternoon, which Wilson did not appear for. His attorneys did not immediately respond to questions about whether he would post bail.

Wilson is an elected official who manages the county's appraisers, and he's currently running for county executive. But for over a month, his campaign has been engulfed in scandal: Keller filed a restraining order against Wilson in May, the second in a year's time.

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

Keller, a radio reporter turned political and public affairs communications consultant, alleges Wilson has tracked her location in the past, found her at undisclosed addresses, and burst in to kiss her against her will. When the two broke up last spring, she told him to leave her alone in a text, and Wilson texted back "Never."

Wilson has argued to KUOW that the text was taken out of context, saying that Keller has exaggerated and that she agreed to withdraw the latest restraining order, but reneged on the agreement when Wilson wouldn't loan her money. The two briefly reconciled after she filed last year's restraining order, which lapsed when neither appeared in court over it.

Keller called the police on Wednesday, according to court documents. Wilson had become increasingly "cavalier" about violating the order, she told media later, and her neighbors were noticing Wilson in his car on the street and allegedly in the parking lot of her residence.

"The Seattle policeman was literally in my driveway taking my report from the second or third incident this week, and my neighbor, who had seen him, looked and went, 'Well, looky there. And in drives John's car,'" Keller told KUOW. "I have never felt like this in my life. I've never been scared to leave my home."

The police report corroborates Keller's account.

The reporting officer wrote that Wilson pulled up as he interviewed Keller, but quickly turned around and tried to drive away. The officer said he drove after and stopped Wilson, who said he was aware of the restraining order but claimed to be looking at buying a houseboat in the neighborhood.

Keller was "visibly shaking," according to the report.

On Thursday in the jail courtroom, Keller and the county prosecuting attorney's lawyers asked King County District Court Judge Jill Klinge to set Wilson's bail at $100,000. Wilson's attorney, John Polito, argued he should be released.

"If my client's name were John Smith, Your Honor, I don't think we'd be here with the request for $100,000 in bail," Polito said, arguing the allegations have no factual basis. "There have never been any threats of physical assault. There are allegations that he's violated an order for protection. That's it."

Police objected in court documents to Wilson's release, saying Keller is "in reasonable fear of what the suspect may do to her."

The King County Council last month held a vote of no confidence against Wilson. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, along with interim King County Executive Shannon Braddock and Democratic State Sen. Manka Dhingra have all called for him to either end his campaign for county executive, step down as county assessor, or both.

However, Wilson can likely only be removed by a vote of the people in his reelection bid next year or if a recall campaign were organized.

According to Keller's filings last month, Wilson had violated the latest restraining order by coming to Keller's home several times, and also attending other events she attended, such as a Downtown Seattle Association annual meeting.

Wilson told KUOW he didn't see Keller at that event. A spokesperson for the Downtown Seattle Association said Wilson was registered a number of weeks before the event, but when Keller registered day-of, both were notified that the other would attend.

Seattle police have not yet referred the case to prosecutors, according to King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney. As King County's lawyer, the prosecutor's staff represents the county assessor's office in civil legal matters.

So if police refer the case to prosecutors, Snohomish County's prosecuting attorney agreed to take the case Thursday, McNerthney said.

"We asked Snohomish County to take the case so there wouldn't be even an appearance of a conflict of interest," McNerthney said. "So we have faith in them. They're going to handle it well."

This story has been updated.