Man arrested for assault after college party faces new charges of witness tampering

A Lake Stevens man arrested for assault after he was kicked out of a college party last weekend is facing additional charges of witness tampering after prosecutors alleged he tried to get partygoers to drop charges.

Hudson Clifford Kinney, 19, pleaded not guilty to 20 criminal charges at his arraignment Thursday in Kittitas County Superior Court.

Kinney is facing an accusation of residential burglary as well as four counts of third-degree assault, two counts of fourth-degree assault, felony harassment, first-degree criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, third-degree malicious mischief, attempted third-degree assault, obstructing law enforcement, interfering with a health care facility, and minor in possession/consumption of alcohol.

During the defendant’s Oct. 29 hearing, Deputy Prosecutor Hunter Slezak said five counts of tampering with a witness had also been filed.

Slezak said Kinney began trying to tamper with witnesses just hours after he made his first appearance in court Monday.

“The defendant wasted no time in trying to recruit other individuals to contact all of the victims,” Slezak said.

Slezak noted Kinney was in court at 11 a.m. Oct. 26 but began using a Chirper, a handheld device that inmates can use to send text messages from the jail, to send “chirps” that same evening.

Slezak asked Judge Chris Herion to increase Kinney’s bail from $200,000 to $300,000, and to forbid the defendant from using the Chirps program.

“The use of those is not a right, it’s a privilege,” the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney Marjorie Alumbaugh said she had not yet read the two new probable cause statements that had been filed that alleged witness tampering, and asked for a one-week delay.

Herion instead said the matter would be reviewed during the Thursday afternoon criminal docket.

When the hearing resumed, the prosecutor asked for Kinney’s telephone privileges to be revoked, as well as his access to the Chirp system. The defendant’s attorney would still be allowed to communicate with him, Slezak added.

Alumbaugh said she had an extensive conversation with Kinney during the pause in the proceedings about what was allegedly said via Chirps. Kinney still wanted to use the Chirps tablet, however.

“That’s how he communicates with his mother,” Alumbaugh explained.

“He does understand the gravity of the situation,” she added. “He doesn’t have any felonies; this is new to him.”

Herion said it appeared Kinney had violated the court’s orders soon after his first court hearing — “within hours” — and sent messages Monday night and Tuesday morning.

The messages continued through Wednesday afternoon, where Kinney kept trying to contact witnesses and potential victims to drop charges, the judge added.

“That is a very serious matter,” Herion said.

He agreed to increase bail to $300,000.

“In addition, all your privileges are removed,” Herion told the defendant. “The only ability you will have to communicate is with your attorney.”

Kinney was booked into jail Saturday after he allegedly broke into two apartments at Central Washington University’s Wahle Complex.

Kinney had been kicked out of a party after he was inappropriately touching women at the gathering and using racial slurs. Kinney began groping other partygoers and started to throw punches when he was escorted out, but didn’t leave the apartment complex and began pounding on the front door and broke a window to get back inside.

He left the apartment after the other partygoers locked themselves in a bedroom to get away and Kinney heard police sirens, according to court documents.

Kinney went to another apartment and forced his way in. Police found him on the ground outside that apartment after he was forcibly removed by the resident’s boyfriend.

Kinney resisted arrest and threatened to assault officers while being taken to Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital for treatment of a cut on his hand, where authorities said he continued to threaten hospital staff and police.

Court papers indicate Kinney started to send messages from the jail asking someone to contact the victims in the case just after 7:30 p.m. Monday.

In one message, he asked someone “to get ahold of the kids that i was beefing with,” adding, “and ask them to drop the charges.”

Kinney added he had written down the names of the people involved from a police report and would send them the next morning.

Kinney also asked his mother to contact the victims and witnesses to drop the charges.

The defendant’s trial is scheduled to start Dec. 28.