Bail denied for suspect in attempted murder of police officer case

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Thirty-four-year-old Bret Allen Kenney was formally charged Tuesday afternoon (May 24) with allegedly assaulting and attempting to kill a Sequim police officer last week during what law enforcement said was “a routine traffic stop.”

His charges include attempted second-degree murder, assault on a police officer, disarming a police officer and driving under the influence of drugs.

His arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 3, in Clallam County Superior Court.

An autopsy was scheduled Tuesday for Kenney’s mother, Teri Ward, with law enforcement continuing to investigate her death from “homicidal violence” in her home southwest of Sequim.

Kenney is the lone person of interest in her death, said Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office last week.

Judge Brent Basden modified Kenney’s initial $5 million bail from May 20 to not allow bail due to his “propensity for violence.”

“There’s a danger to the community based on numerous criminal convictions, particularly assaults on law enforcement officers,” Basden said.

Clallam County deputy prosecuting attorney Michele Devlin said Kenney has a criminal history that includes four prior cases of assault on police officers including assaulting one to the point of unconsciousness and taking pepper spray from another striking him with it.

She said Kenney’s allegations in Sequim “happened in the middle of night and was a violent and brutal attack on a police officer.”

Basden added that Kenney was recently released from incarceration Jan. 14, and under the Department of Corrections’ supervision.

“In this case, the allegations include taking an officer’s gun, and when the officer cried for help he didn’t back down,” Basden said. “The incident continued until members of the community stepped in.”

Kenney, who appeared in court again via video on May 24, was ordered by Basden to remain in handcuffs throughout his hearings.

Prior to the May 19 altercation, an unnamed Sequim police officer stopped Kenney at 4:31 a.m. driving a truck registered to his mother near the intersection of Third Avenue and West Washington Street, according to court documents.

Nearby video surveillance showed the officer interview Kenney at the truck window before he jumped out of the truck and began to assault the officer as he was walking back to his vehicle, law enforcement reported.

In court May 20, Devlin said Kenney assaulted the officer and he “fought for his life” for about two minutes before bystanders helped.

Both the officer and Kenney sustained non-life threatening injuries and were treated and released from the Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles.

During the altercation, Kenney allegedly got the officer’s gun and it discharged, she said.

Law enforcement reported two shots were fired and because a law enforcement officer was involved Sequim Police Department is not involved in the investigation, according to City of Sequim officials. The Kitsap Critical Incident Response Team (KCIRT), a multi-agency task force of 10 law enforcement agencies in Kitsap, Mason and Clallam counties, has led the investigation.

They received a requested welfare check for Ward later in the morning leading to the discovery of her body, according to law enforcement.