Benton commissioner accused of theft, assault and lying may take plea deal
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- A change-of-plea hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 5.
- McKay previously pleaded innocent to accusations he grabbed a man and stole his phone.
- He was charged with felony 1st-degree theft + misdemeanor assault and lying to police.
William McKay Jr., a Benton County commissioner charged with a felony last year in connection with a Kennewick confrontation, may enter a plea before the case goes to trial.
He appeared briefly in court Wednesday for a pretrial hearing after previously pleading innocent. He waived his right to a speedy trial, which is now tentatively set for July 20.
However, electronic court dockets show McKay’s case is scheduled June 5 for a possible change of plea hearing.
Because of McKay’s position with the county, the case is being handled by an out-of-town judge and a prosecutor with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in Spokane.
The prosecutor on the case declined to comment about the possible plea change, and McKay’s attorney could not be reached after the hearing.
McKay is charged with felony first-degree theft and fourth-degree assault and lying to police, both misdemeanors.
It’s unclear if the plea offer involves a reduction in charges. If convicted of a felony and sentenced to jail, he would have to step down under state law. He would be eligible for office again once released.
McKay is accused of grabbing a man and stealing his phone to delete a video during a road rage incident.
McKay serves as chairman pro-tem of the Benton County commissioners. The three-man board serves as the county’s legislative body and controls its budgets. He first won election to the board in 2020.
The criminal charges were the result of a confrontation last fall.
McKay, 45, and Alvaro Jimenez, 46, crossed paths on Oct. 18 near the intersection of West 27th Avenue and South Union Street in Kennewick.
McKay told investigators that he saw the driver of a Mini-Cooper “driving erratically” and “flipping people off” near the roundabout, court documents said.
Jimenez reported seeing the Dodge Ram that McKay was driving when it started following him along Highway 395. He said he didn’t know why the silver truck drove behind him for two miles on highway to the Gold’s Gym parking lot.
Jimenez said he was heading into the gym when he became worried about the truck’s driver, “so he decided to exit from his vehicle and begin recording the Ram and its driver,” court documents said.
Security footage described in court documents showed McKay confront Jimenez.
McKay allegedly tried to grab Jimenez’s cellphone and when Jimenez turned away, McKay reportedly “bear hugged” him and took the phone away, according to charging documents.
Jimenez said he demanded his phone back, but McKay allegedly refused and deleted the video, court documents said. A witness also saw the confrontation and said McKay only returned the phone after the witness told him she was calling the police.
McKay drove away, but police tracked him down because the pickup truck he was driving was a rental. He denied struggling with the man, and said Jimenez was the aggressor, documents said.
When McKay was arrested, he allegedly said, “If I knew it was a crime to take this phone, I wouldn’t have done it,” court documents said.
This story includes prior reporting from Cameron Probert.
