Police say they are looking for additional victims after a woman’s social media campaign against an alleged groper who she says assaulted her downtown pushed SPD detectives to step up their investigation and take the man into custody. Here’s SPD’s call for help tracking down more victims:
Department of Corrections (DOC) officers recognized the man in the victim’s photo as a level 3 sex offender, and contacted SPD investigators. DOC officers booked the man into the King County Jail Wednesday for violating the terms of his community supervision.
Several victims have also reported similar incidents to SPD detectives after seeing the suspect’s photo, and detectives are now investigating those cases as well.
Anyone with information about this incident or any other similar incident should call the Sexual Assault Unit at (206) 684-5575.
One of the victim’s pictures of the alleged groper can be seen here in an October 14th Tweet.
SPD says the “person of interest” remains in custody but has not yet been charged. SPD says he is a “a level 3 sex offender.”
As the story spread this week, CHS received this account saying the same man has been seen on Capitol Hill:
I witnessed this same man grope someone (and possibly take an upskirt photo which I was told is now a felony) on Broadway in Capitol Hill maybe 6 months ago on my walk to work and reported the incident to the SPD. I had an officer come to my work, but since I was not the victim, I don’t think the SPD took an “official report”. The officer said she would contact the station and have them do a perimeter check. When I read the article I knew I had to find Julia’s twitter page to check out the photo and sure enough it is the same guy!!!! I saw him again and pointed him out to the beat cops that started walking up and down Broadway after I reported the incident. The cops said they would keep their eyes on him, but clearly he is still doing it and has just moved to a different area. I am sure there are other victims in the Capitol Hill neighborhood who should know he’s now been identified so they can contact the SPD.
You can contact the SPD sexual assault unit at (206) 684-5575 with information to help in the case.
i would also add, call 911. i read the seattle times article about julia’s incident and i think her better course of action, instead of taking a picture of the guy and posting it on twitter, would have been to call 911 and have the guy arrested on the spot. that’s good advice for anyone who’s been sexually assaulted. call 911 immediately (if you can).
if you see someone being groped or suspect an illegal activity – call 911 right then and there (again, if you can). waiting for time to pass, and the suspect to leave the area, only serves to allow them to attack someone else.
Her twitter feed said that the cops weren’t interested in the picture. they seemed to drag their feet until she posted the picture.
Arrested “on the spot”? You that flash-fry response time is available from the police, especially for a call that doesn’t involve weapons or blood?
Her version of a citizen’s arrest/warning via social media was resourceful, prudent, and didn’t involve trying to detain him and whatever could have been under that jacket.
Kudos to her.
way to be cynical.
kudos to her for standing up for herself. but detain him? he didn’t seem to be going anywhere. he stood there while she took his picture. he hung around after groping her while she shopped in a couple of stores before trying to find him again.
all that time he was still at westlake park. would the police have magically appeared? no, but the time that elapsed between the groping and his picture being taken could have resulted in an officer being there.
and talking about what’s under someone’s jacket? try to take the picture of the wrong person and you might just find out that a person’s packing – and you might not like it.