By Erica C. Barnett
King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson will have to wear an ankle monitor and stay 1,000 feet away from his ex-fiancée, Seattle PR consultant Lee Keller, while he awaits trial on the two charges of violating a no-contact order Keller obtained against him last year. Wilson pled not guilty to both charges; his next pretrial hearing is scheduled for May 5. The no-contact order is for five years, expiring in 2031.
Wilson was arrested last July for showing up repeatedly at Keller’s home while a no-contact order was in effect. Keller accused Wilson of stalking and coercive control; the two reconciled briefly while the restraining order was in effect. Before his arrest, Wilson used a photo taken during that period in which Keller was smiling to argue in court that he posed no danger to her and that the order should be lifted.
According to a Seattle Municipal Court spokesperson, the company that provides GPS monitoring to the city, Sentinel, has to inform the court if a defendant violates a no-contact order. In domestic violence cases, the victim can opt in to an app that alerts them if the person under the order comes within 1,000 feet of wherever they are. Keller said she plans to use the app.
Keller told PubliCola by email that she’s “deeply grateful to the Judge, the Seattle Police, the City of Seattle and the prosecuting attorney’s office for their careful work around this. I feel better knowing there are people keeping track of his whereabouts. I just hope this is not prolonged and that my protection order stays in place for the longest period possible. And that he now understands the seriousness of breaking the law.”
The no-contact order prohibits Wilson from messaging, emailing, or calling Keller or from speaking to or going near her even if she “invites or allows you to violate the order’s prohibitions.” It does not prohibit Wilson from creating social media posts that subtly allude to Keller, which she has accused him of doing in the past.
Wilson appeared virtually at Wednesday’s hearing, and said little more than “I’m more than happy to comply with the no contact [order].”
The King County Council voted unanimously last year to demand Wilson’s resignation. Assuming he remains defiant—last month, he stood up and waved when a speaker at a Downtown Seattle Association event invited elected officials to stand for applause—he’ll be in office for the rest of 2026. He is not running for reelection.