A civil lawsuit filed last month alleges Orange County School Board Trustee Ken Williams Jr. attacked a 20-year-old driver on the road in Silverado, threw him to the ground and strangled him.
Court documents say that in March 2023, Williams was driving down a residential street when Kayden O'Malley drove up from behind.
The filing says Williams slammed on the brakes multiple times in front of O'Malley's car, then they both stopped and got out.
When O'Malley approached Williams' Escalade to take a picture of the license plate, while O'Malley begged him to stop, Williams lunged at him, threw him to the ground, and climbed on top of O'Malley. It is said that he began to strangle her.
“The defendant lunged towards Kayden.” [O’Malley]knocking the cell phone out of his hand, Kayden backed away from Defendant's violence and asked why Defendant would attack him,” the complaint states.
“Defendant left Kayden unable to walk, lying in the middle of the road going 55 miles per hour, and sped away in his Escalade,” the complaint continues. “While in agony, Mr. Kayden somehow crawled to the side of the road and sought emergency medical assistance. Kayden continues to suffer significant physical and emotional injuries as a result of the defendant's violent attack.”
The suit alleges that O'Malley has suffered lost wages, hospital and medical bills, loss of earning capacity, and personal injuries. He is seeking monetary damages. The exact amount is unknown at this time, but his filing states the amount is more than $25,000.
O'Malley's attorney declined to comment on the case.
Williams, who admitted the lawsuit, told Voice of OC that political opponents have attacked his personal life and professional career, but he did not confirm or deny any of the allegations.
“I have had a clean and exemplary 20-year career as a law enforcement reservist with the Orange County Sheriff's Department,” Williams said in a Feb. 14 email to Voice of OC. -Oppose defunding the police and weakening criminal laws. ”
Williams declined to comment directly on the matter.
“I'd like to talk to you, but on the advice of my attorney I can't,” Williams said in a Thursday voicemail.
Although the complaint was filed last month, the incident allegedly occurred on March 11, 2023. A public hearing is scheduled for August 5, 2024.
Mr. Williams serves on the Orange County School Board for District 3, which includes parts of Blair, Irvine, Orange, Villa Park, Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Lake Forest and Tustin.
He was elected in 2020 and will be re-elected on the March 5 primary ballot of this year. He is a strong supporter of charter schools and parental rights.
[Read: Voters to Decide Who Sits on The Orange County Board of Education]
Mr. Williams is also an attending physician at St. Joseph Hospital, Hoag Hospital in Newport and Irvine, and Children's Hospital of Orange County.
In an email, Williams said she was being attacked for her stance on education.
“After 28 years as an elected county school board director, my woke political opponents are now attacking my conservative governance positions of “back to basics'' and Approving charter schools, asserting parental choice, protecting the purity and safety of children; the right of parents to direct their children's upbringing, anti-drug policy, and advocacy for children with disabilities.”
Angelina Hicks is the voice of OC Tracy Wood's reporting fellow. Contact us at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
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