McIver pleads not guilty to domestic assault

Seattle City Councilman Richard McIver pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a domestic-violence charge that alleges he grabbed his wife by the throat during an altercation last week at the couple's home.

After a hearing Wednesday in King County District Court on the charge of fourth-degree domestic-violence assault, McIver declined to comment on the Oct. 10 incident, which ended with his arrest and an overnight stay in jail before he was released on personal recognizance. The judge said that an order prohibiting contact between McIver and his wife, Marlaina Kiner-McIver, must remain in effect.

Charging documents filed Wednesday offered new details about the incident.

According to the documents, McIver grabbed his wife by the throat three times, putting pressure on it, as he shouted what she told police was a profane tirade.

Kiner-McIver became frightened and called 911, the documents say, but she hung up when she considered the potential political ramifications for her husband's City Council career.

When the operator called back, she said they both had been drinking and the fight had not been physical, charging documents say.

When police arrived, they thought McIver, 66, seemed intoxicated, and he indicated he had just come home from a restaurant. He told them he had been drinking and was probably drunk, but he denied the argument with his wife became physical, charging papers say.

Todd Maybrown, one of McIver's attorneys, said he was disappointed that prosecutors decided to file charges against McIver and insisted that the councilman is not guilty.

The reason for the charges, he said, was most likely that domestic violence is a "hot-button issue, and he's an elected official."

Kiner-McIver declined to speak in court and provided a written statement about the incident. A victim advocate speaking on her behalf told Judge Mariane Spearman that she did not wish her husband of 35 years to be prosecuted nor did she wish a no-contact order.

Maybrown said a no-contact order was appropriate given the seriousness of the charges.

McIver, an attorney, was appointed to the City Council in 1997 to complete the term of John Manning, a former police officer who resigned after pleading guilty to domestic violence.

He was elected to a four-year term in 1997 and re-elected in 2001 and 2005.

Maybrown said McIver would be back to work on the City Council's budget committee today.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com