Crime & Safety
Johanknecht Widens Lead Over Urquhart In Sheriff Race
Incumbent Sheriff John Urquhart faced accusations of sexual assault by a former deputy in the weeks before Election Day.
SEATTLE, WA - The race for King County Sheriff is still tight, but Maj. Mitzi Johanknecht widened her lead Wednesday afternoon after King County released the latest ballot count. Johanknecht was ahead of Sheriff John Urquhart 52.61% to 47.39%.
On Election Day, Johanknecht was beating Urquhart 51.84% to 48.16%.
The sheriff's race drew attention in recent weeks after the Seattle Times published a damning article about Urquhart, revealing that the sheriff is under investigation by Renton police for groping a former deputy. Urquhart says the former deputy's claims are false and were timed to hurt him politically.
Find out what's happening in Seattlefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Urquhart was so chaffed by the reporting, he sent Times reporter Steve Miletich to a fake election party Tuesday night. Urquhart later claimed that was a joke.
If Johanknecht wins, she will be the first gay woman to lead the King County Sheriff's Office. She has been a member of the department for 32 years.
Find out what's happening in Seattlefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
King County Sheriff incumbent John Urquhart didn't like @seattletimes reporter Steve Miletich's coverage of sex abuse allegations against him, so Urquhart sent Steve to a non-existent campaign party (Steve tracked him down at the real party across town)https://t.co/jbw8PfezZQ
— Paige Cornwell (@pgcornwell) November 8, 2017
Image via Mitzi Johanknecht
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.