Domestic charges filed against local legislator

Authorities will pursue prosecuting state Rep. Geoff Simpson, who was arrested on April 27 on charges of fourth-degree assault and interfering with reporting of domestic violence. The charges stem from an incident involving his former wife.

Charges have been filed against Simpson, and a court hearing is scheduled for June 6 in Kent, according to Thomas Hargan, the city prosecutor for Covington, where the alleged offenses occurred.

“We’re still in the process of gathering information and verifying information on this case,” Hargan said.

King County Sheriff Department deputies arrested Simpson after being called April 27 to his home in Covington, where he was accused by his ex-wife, Kathy Simpson, of grabbing her by the wrist and arm. According to the deputies’ incident report, she was holding onto tax documents for the pair and they were arguing over them. She had gone to her former husband’s home to retrieve some belongings when the argument began.

The couple’s divorce was finalized in late April, according to court documents.

According to the deputies’ report, Kathy Simpson alleged that her ex-husband grabbed her right arm and squeezed, and that when she reached for the tax documents she had dropped, Simpson allegedly grabbed her arm again and hurt her.

When giving a statement to deputies, Simpson, who also is a firefighter for the Kent Fire Department, denied that he injured his ex-wife during the alleged altercation.

A witness said he saw Simpson trying to pull Kathy Simpson “out of the house” and told Simpson “to stop, which he did,” deputies wrote in the report.

In a statement sent after the incident by a representative of Seattle-based public relations firm Moxie Media, Simpson said he’s “confident that once the facts come to light I will be exonerated. I believe in our justice system and will continue to cooperate fully as this situation is resolved.”

He said that as a legislator, he is “strongly in support of erring on the side of protecting potential victims with our laws and their enforcement – even when, in situations like mine, it can result in unwarranted charges.”

After the incident, Simpson was placed on administrative leave by the Kent Fire Department pending the results of an internal investigation. He’s been a firefighter for the department since 1990.

Simpson, a Democrat, has been involved in local politics for many years. A former Covington City Councilman, he has represented the 47th District in the Legislature since 2000 and is up for re-election this fall, but hasn’t announced if he’ll run. The official candidate filing period is June 2-6.

At least two other people have said they’ll run for Simpson’s position. Mark Hargrove, a Republican who also lives in Covington, announced his candidacy in February. Leslie Hamada, a Democrat, said May 19 that she’ll enter the race.

Staff writer Kris Hill can be reached at 425-432-1209, ext. 5054, or by e-mail: khill@reporternewspapers.com

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