(The Center Square) – King County Assessor John Wilson has been arrested for allegedly stalking and violating a court order, amid calls for him to resign from his elected position.
According to King County jail records, Wilson was booked at 10:22 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Wilson’s arrest is the latest development in a series of events in which the county assessor has been accused of stalking and harassment. Lee Keller, a local public affairs consultant and Wilson’s former domestic partner, obtained a temporary protection order in the King County Superior Court on May 13. This was the second restraining order she filed against Wilson since May 2024.
Detective Brian Pritchard with the Seattle Police Department confirmed Wilson’s arrest to The Center Square, but said the department will not be releasing any further information due to being an open and active criminal investigation.
Immediately after the restraining order was issued in May, King County and Seattle leaders called for Wilson to resign and suspend his campaign for King County executive in the upcoming general election. This included King County Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay, who are also campaigning for county executive.
Wilson has previously said that Balducci and Zahilay appointed themselves judge, jury and executioner by publicly calling for his resignation and campaign suspension.
On June 10, the King County Council approved a motion expressing no confidence in Wilson, and continued calling for him to resign.
Following The Seattle Times breaking the story on Wilson’s arrest, Zahilay called the county assessor’s behavior “disturbing and unacceptable,” and continued to urge him to resign and end his campaign.
Wilson has been the county’s assessor since 2015. He was most recently reelected in 2023, with no opponents for his seat. As the county assessor, Wilson earns more than $211,000 in salary, according to 2023 King County salary data obtained by The Center Square.
As of this publication, Wilson has not suspended his campaign for county executive, and has not resigned.
