Yakima Valley activist and candidate Kenton Gartrell accused of domestic violence on Christmas Eve

Frequent Yakima County political candidate Kenton Allen Gartrell, 34, of Wapato, was arrested on Christmas Eve on suspicion of fourth-degree domestic violence. 

He was formally charged Dec. 26 in Yakima County District Court. His next court date is Jan. 6. 

Around 9:30 p.m. Dec. 24, Yakima County Sheriff's deputies were called to a house on Ashue Road in Wapato about a domestic disturbance, according to an incident report filed by deputies. 

Gartrell's wife locked herself in a bedroom with her children after she said Gartrell grabbed her by the neck, the incident report said.

Both parties described a verbal argument that turned physical, though there were conflicting statements, the incident report said. Deputies photographed bruises on the woman's bicep and neck.

Deputies smelled alcohol on Gartrell's breath, the report said. 

His wife obtained a no-contact order against him Dec. 26, according to court documents.

California incident

In a separate incident, Gartrell was arrested Dec. 6 on suspicion of trespassing by the Mount Shasta Police Department in California, according to a news release. 

He didn't comment on the Christmas Eve incident, but did comment on the Mount Shasta arrest.

"Campaigning, petitioning, and protesting are protected even if a bad cop with misconduct thinks they are above the law or several judicial judges," Gartrell said in an email to the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Political activism

Gartrell has described himself publicly as a libertarian, although he has at times aligned himself with the Yakima County Republicans, and has served as a precinct committee officer. He was involved in efforts to recall former Coroner Jim Curtice in early 2025.

He unsuccessfully ran for a commissioner position for Fire District 5 in November. 

He was appointed to Sunnyside's Climate Resilience Advisory Team in June 2025. 

During the 2024 general election, Gartrell posted pictures of himself holding ballots and calling them "McDonald's napkins," leading some community members to believe he was throwing them out. His posts were picked up in Reddit threads, drawing national attention. He told the Yakima Herald-Republic that he was legally collecting ballots from voters and turning them in to the auditor's office. Yakima County officials found no evidence of voter fraud.

In 2022, he was recommended by a nominating committee to serve on a seat on the Yakima Planning Commission but failed to secure enough council votes to be appointed. City officials did not appoint him to the Community Integration Committee months later. 

In 2021, he unsuccessfully ran for a director position on the Yakima school board. He was warned by the district that he could be trespassed from school grounds for not adhering to COVID-19 masking policies that October. 

In 2019, he unsuccessfully ran for Yakima City Council. On election night, he got into a physical altercation with a supporter of his opponent at a bar.