King County assessor ordered to wear GPS monitoring device

King County Assessor John Wilson will have to wear a GPS monitoring device, after a Seattle judge said Tuesday she had lost confidence that he would abide by court orders to keep away from his ex-fiancée.

The change comes after Wilson posted on social media last month, seemingly bragging that he had not been forced to wear a GPS ankle monitor.

The new information is he does not seem to be taking this seriously," Seattle Municipal Court Judge Catherine McDowall said at a Tuesday morning hearing. "And that decreases my confidence that he will abide by the no-contact orders in this case."

John Polito, Wilson's attorney, argued there was no reason to change the prior restrictions.

"This post by Mr. Wilson was not taunting, he made no threat to anyone or anything, and all Mr. Wilson referenced was that he 'had a good week,'" Polito wrote in a court filing.

Wilson faces two counts of violating a court order (domestic violence) for allegedly contacting, or attempting to contact, his former fiancée after she had taken out a protective order against him. The charges are gross misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in jail.

Wilson, who was arrested last summer but only charged in March, has pleaded not guilty and been free without bail but ordered to stay away from his former fiancée and not come within 1,000 feet of her home or work.

A previous judge allowed him to forgo the GPS ankle bracelet after he cited health problems, which he said require him to wear compression socks and to soak his legs every day.

But, after winning that minor victory, Wilson posted a picture of himself on Facebook, in a pool or hot tub, with the caption "Great to soak my legs after a very productive and successful week."

McDowall, in court on Tuesday, referred to the post as "cavalier" and said Wilson "should know better."

"If he wasn't an elected official," she said, "it's likely it wouldn't have come to the court's attention."

McDowall did allow Wilson to seek special arrangements. That could potentially involve switching the ankle monitor from one leg to another more frequently, or finding a different provider who could potentially put a GPS device on his wrist instead of his ankle.

Lee Keller, Wilson's ex-fiancée, said she was grateful that Wilson would be wearing the GPS device.

"He has shown he will not obey court orders and I am concerned for my safety without court assurances, Keller said in a statement.

Wilson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wilson dropped his campaign for county executive last year after he was arrested and later announced he would not seek another term as assessor. He has resisted calls to resign - from the Metropolitan King County Council, the county executive, his chief deputy in the assessor's office - and has said he intends to complete his term, which ends in December.

Wilson was arrested in July after police found him near his ex-fiancée's home while a no-contact order was in effect. Wilson had been under a temporary protection order - his second since 2024 - after she had accused him of a pattern of stalking and harassment.

Correction: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect word from Wilson's social media post.

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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM.