EVERETT — A Lake Stevens man is facing a possible life sentence for last month’s attack on Snohomish County corrections deputies inside the Everett jail.
One officer was beaten unconscious and suffered broken bones. A second officer also was punched repeatedly and struck with his electronic stun gun. The inmate reportedly assaulted at least one other corrections deputy coming to the aid of his co-workers.
Bret Allen Kenney “savagely attacked” the officers, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Adam Cornell wrote in court papers. The defendant reportedly continued to punch two officers even as they were down on the ground.
Cornell recently charged Kenney with two counts of second-degree assault and one count of third-degree assault for the March 15 incident. If Kenney, 29, is convicted of second-degree assault, that would be his third-strike under the state’s persistent offender law. He would face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of release.
Kenney’s prior strikes include a 2009 robbery in Kitsap County and a 2011 robbery in Thurston County. He was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for that case. He also racked up two non-strike convictions last year — marijuana possession and taking a vehicle without the owner’s permission.
After the jail attack, questions were raised about Kenney’s ability to assist with his own defense. State doctors recently concluded that Kenney isn’t competent enough to help his lawyers. They are expected to ask a judge to send Kenney to Western State Hospital to receive mental health treatment in an effort to make him fit for trial.
Lake Stevens officers were concerned about Kenney’s mental health March 5 when they were called to an attempted break-in at a home. The resident reported to police that the defendant “started talking gibberish” while trying to force his way inside.
She was able to fight him off with a walking stick, and her daughter called 911. A Lake Stevens police sergeant recognized Kenney from an interaction earlier in the evening outside a convenience store. Kenney appeared agitated and reportedly told the sergeant the world was coming to an end.
The sergeant allowed Kenney to go after determining he was “physically capable of taking care of himself.”
Kenney again was agitated outside the woman’s home. He was speaking quickly and his thoughts seemed disjointed. He was waving his arms and hands around and wouldn’t stand still, according to police reports.
Officers decided to detain Kenney for his own safety. He allegedly punched the sergeant while officers attempted to handcuff him. Once he calmed down he apologized.
Kenney was booked into the Snohomish County Jail and housed in a high-security module. He wasn’t allowed out of his cell when other inmates were in the common area.
The attack on the corrections deputies happened around 1 a.m. when Kenney was let out of his cell to walk around the module.
Kenney was pacing but slowed down and was watching an officer in the module more closely, Cornell wrote. As the deputy looked down at his watch, Kenney reportedly “sucker punched him square in the face.” The deputy was knocked to the ground where Kenney allegedly continued to assault him. He walked away but returned when he saw the deputy attempt to get up.
“He again brutally attacked him with his fists and continued to do so even after it appeared that (the deputy) was not moving,” Cornell wrote.
The corrections officer suffered a broken nose and other injuries.
A second deputy raced to his co-worker’s aid. Kenney reportedly met him on the stairs and started punching the officer, eventually pulling him to the ground and wailing on him as he was on the floor, Cornell wrote. In the struggle Kenney allegedly grabbed the officer’s electronic stun gun and clobbered him with it. The force knocked the deputy to the ground and Kenney continued to pummel him, according to court documents.
A third deputy also was punched and pushed.
Two deputies remain out on medical leave, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.
Kenney is being housed at the King County Jail in Seattle. He also is charged with third-degree assault for the incident that led to his arrest in Lake Stevens.
Another inmate was accused of attacking a Snohomish County corrections deputy in December. That case also is on hold while the man receives mental health treatment at Western State Hospital.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
