Originally published Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
Former Mercer Island theater director pleads guilty to assault
A former Mercer Island youth-theater director who last year was accused of raping a teenager has pleaded guilty to two reduced charges involving assaults on a girl and her sister.
Seattle Times Eastside reporter
A former Mercer Island youth-theater director who was accused of raping a teenager has pleaded guilty to two reduced charges involving assaults on a girl and her sister.
Benjamin D. Keylin, 58, former executive director of Youth Theatre Northwest, pleaded guilty Friday to charges of second- and fourth-degree assault, which were filed in an amended complaint as part of a plea agreement.
Keylin is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 5 in King County Superior Court.
Keylin had been charged last December with third-degree rape and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. Neither of the charges involved members of the youth theater, according to prosecutors.
According to the new charges, Keylin was accused of assaulting two victims identified only by their initials on Nov. 19, 2007, and in other incidents between July 1 and Aug. 8, 2007.
The charges filed last year, however, alleged that Keylin had inappropriate contact on several occasions with the 16-year-old daughter of a friend. He also was alleged to have raped the girl's older sister, who was 18 at the time, according to the charges.
Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, said the charges against Keylin were amended because prosecutors faced potential problems proving the rape.
Keylin was fired by the youth theater after the charges were brought in December.
At the time, the theater said Keylin had been hired in 2003 after serving as a teacher and school superintendent and most recently had been marketing director for Empty Space Theatre in Seattle.
According to court records, Keylin had been convicted of assault in King County in 1991 after being arrested on suspicion of rape. Keylin also was the subject of a civil anti-harassment order in December after his ex-wife and her husband asked that a court prohibit him from having contact with his daughter.
Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
Teen is beaten in bus tunnel; Metro to review policies
School levies passing in most area districts
King County library measure ahead by slight margin
Medical pot exceeds law, but no charges
Two names dominate as Seattle begins police-chief search

shopping
events for Wednesday, Feb. 10
- Gift Shop Sale at Frame Up Studios
- Valentine's Specials at Sugar Sugar
- Winter Blowout Sale at Hip Zephyr
- Sultry Shopping and Chocolate Tasting Event a...
editors' picks
- Pioneer Square shopping
- Vintage, consignment and used clothing
- Neighborhood shopping
- Phinney Ridge & Greenwood shopping
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Man found shot dead in pickup truck in Seattle
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Husky Football Blog | Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
- State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
- Idol Confessions | "American Idol" hopeful from Seattle didn't make it to Hollywood afterall
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- Nicole Brodeur | Chrisceda Clemmons' house wasn't the only casualty
- Brier Dudley's Blog | Google rolls its own Facebook & Twitter with Gmail "Buzz"
- Sex, drug rumors swirl about N.Y. Gov. Paterson
- Republicans may be no-shows at health-plan summit
279 - State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
252 - Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
249 - Lee undergoes foot surgery
231 - Obama: GOP and Dems together can spur job growth
211 - Fort Lewis soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old, holding her head in water
193 - Rivals names Martin one of Pac-10's best recruiters
143 - Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
128 - Bus-tunnel attack while guards watched prompts review of Metro security
127 - White House mocks Sarah Palin from podium
93
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- Wine Adviser | Oregon's quality pinots join the bargain ranks
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Snap out of your photo funk: How to make sense of all those piles of images
- How clean are those pre-washed salad greens?
- Answers to biggest Olympic TV questions
- Rick Steves' Europe | What's new in Rome and Venice for 2010
- Brier Dudley's Blog | Google rolls its own Facebook & Twitter with Gmail "Buzz"

