West Seattle Crime Watch: Another ‘flasher’ incident

Police are investigating a new report of a man exposing himself outside a local school. This one was reported within the past hour near Holy Rosary School; police arrived quickly and were told that a child said a man described only as white, heavyset, and in his 30s “exposed himself to kids on the playground behind the school.” He was said to have been leaning against a vehicle described as a silver minivan. No suspects found yet, according to our followup conversation with SPD spokesperson Det. Drew Fowler. Holy Rosary already has sent an alert to parents; three have forwarded it to us (thank you):

Students reported that a man was seen in a parked silver vehicle (maybe a van). He stepped out and did not have any clothing on the bottom part of his body. He was not on our property. He was near the sidewalk by the big toy—— outside the fence. The police were immediately notified. Three squad cars and three other officers were here within six minutes of the report. Staff have circled the area a number of times. Staff will be out at the end of school, patrolling the area.

We did ask police, and so far they don’t have any further descriptive details such as hair or clothing color/style.

(Side note: No one’s ever been arrested in the two incidents there last September.)

36 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Another 'flasher' incident"

  • AG September 8, 2014 (1:36 pm)

    Boy, that description sounds familiar from the flashing incidents at the schools last year. Silver SUV/minivan type car, heavyset white dude pulling a “No-Pants-Jones” in front of a school playground. UGH. Gross, dude. Folks who live near the schools, please keep an eye out. Let’s get a plate # on this clown.

    • WSB September 8, 2014 (1:38 pm)

      I was just looking into the archives and am adding that link – two incidents last September.

  • Noelle September 8, 2014 (1:46 pm)

    Schools need Adults monitoring the school yard and the street when the kids are out.

  • Seattle Dad September 8, 2014 (1:49 pm)

    I hope they catch him and get him the help he needs after he does a little hard time (no pun intended).

  • K. September 8, 2014 (1:54 pm)

    Sounds like the same man but got out of jail, he’s back ready to be caught again. This time keep him in Jail for good or WA Mental Institute. Heavy set, white, no pants…silver SUV

    • WSB September 8, 2014 (2:15 pm)

      No one has been convicted so far in any of these incidents. The man arrested this summer for a Beach Drive incident and under investigation in two non-school incidents is still in jail awaiting trial. – TR

  • ACG September 8, 2014 (2:13 pm)

    Holy Rosary- put a camera out there!! If that spot is consistently being used by these sick people, monitor it. Even if the camera is only turned on during the school day while kids are out on the playground. I know I will probably get jumped on by the anti-camera people here on the blog, but obviously that area needs more survellience. Get this guy on video and then get him arrested and away from our children.

  • Smitty September 8, 2014 (2:25 pm)

    Can schools (both public and private) PLEASE get some cameras? Would be an easy way to nab these creeps!

  • anonyme September 8, 2014 (2:41 pm)

    I’m with Smitty. It’s insane that schools not only have no cameras on school property (and the perimeter) but that there doesn’t seem to be any adult supervision. Someone needs to be patrolling when kids are in the yard. With all of these incidents over the last year, it’s a no-brainer. If I were a parent, I’d be raising Holy Hell.

  • BMC September 8, 2014 (3:22 pm)

    Not that Dwayne character? Is he still in jail?

    • WSB September 8, 2014 (3:24 pm)

      He has been in jail since his arrest in July. I check often and checked again after we reported this.

  • KM September 8, 2014 (4:08 pm)

    I’ve never NOT known there to be adults on most playgrounds, and I know there are certainly a few at Westside during recess/outdoor activities. Stuff like this will still happen regardless, unfortunately, as we can’t protect kids from every potential danger. Hopefully some sets of eyes and reports back on the description will catch the guy SOON–props to the kids who are reporting it to their teachers and staff.

  • HR Parent September 8, 2014 (5:06 pm)

    Okay, people, come on . . . the Holy Rosary playground is very well-supervised. Obviously this is creepy, but the guy was on a public street separated from the playground by a large fence; it’s not like he was perched on the big toy or something. There is only so much that a school can do to control what happens on the streets surrounding it. They did what they could, which is to call the police.

    As far as fall traditions, go, though, I prefer WestFest . . .

  • Shotgun Wilbur September 8, 2014 (5:24 pm)

    I agree with the cameras. Tho I suspect a few of us hope we catch him before the police do.

  • ScubaFrog September 8, 2014 (5:27 pm)

    It’s heartbreaking to see the playground with a police vehicle next to it – with that caption. They need cameras out there asap. Frankly it’s irresponsible to *not* have cameras out there already (every school). Doesn’t common sense dictate that schools/playgrounds should have cameras?

    AG that’s the first thing I thought, too (that it sounds a lot like the pervert from last year). He needs to be caught asap – the SPD need to put priority on this and take control NOW.

  • CF September 8, 2014 (5:28 pm)

    It would have been nice to have had notification to all WS schools as soon as this occurred. This perp will pop up again somewhere else. My children where not informed and they are at two different WS schools.

  • CMF September 8, 2014 (6:08 pm)

    Maybe they should attach heavy construction tarps to the chain link fence to block the view from the street.

  • Again September 8, 2014 (7:28 pm)

    Hair: pubic
    Clothing: half

    Absolute Security Alarms contact info? http://absolutesecurityalarms.com/

    Highly recommended.

  • pjmanley September 8, 2014 (7:45 pm)

    Folks, I live right nearby and it’s a very safe and well-monitored playground. Pervs are just very good sneaks. Subtlety and discretion will catch the perv, not freaking out. That’s what provides the thrill, and he’s probably reading all of our comments. Tarps are a bad idea, because they prevent us from seeing what goes on in that playground, especially after dark, when the nocturnals show up to drink and get high. The perv’s chosen corner is fairly busy, with many HR parents coming and going, along with garbage and delivery trucks, etc., so it’s not so obvious when a strange van pulls over near that corner for a few minutes. Somebody just needs to get the license plate and his traveling circus will be over.

  • PDH September 8, 2014 (7:59 pm)

    Thx, PJ. HRS play ground is heavily monitored, parent volunteers and teachers, plus a fence.

    My son and his class-mates wanted to know why there were cameras this afternoon (TV) which I turned down interview, though would tell my story…just without photos. Had to “explain”… :-(.

    Crazy this is the 2nd year at the beginning of school year we are dealing with. Trust me, all of us are watching and ready to take a photo…so if this creep may read this….you will be found by parents, neighbors, friends, etc….

  • Different look September 8, 2014 (8:10 pm)

    Just wondering why there is this much outrage to a man exposing himself as when there are 10 plus naked bicyclists riding and stopping on Alki on a summer day when families, kids included are around. This happened years ago when my son was with his Cub Scout pack at the beach. When I complained to the police they said the mayors office told them not to arrest them.
    Go figure?
    I wish the police would have responded the same way they are with these recent incidents.

    • WSB September 8, 2014 (8:23 pm)

      Do you mean the September 2009 “Naked Bike Ride”? That was two mayors ago, for what it’s worth – Mike McGinn was elected two months after that, and of course he did not win re-election last year. Its organizer was charged with indecent exposure eventually, as we reported a few months later, and then the charge was dismissed. Or perhaps the year before? We got police comment on that and reported it here. That one, which happened without warning (unlike the following year), was exactly six years ago today. – TR

  • Different look September 8, 2014 (8:37 pm)

    Yes that was the incident. I just don’t see any difference. A man exposing himself in public should looked at the same way….no pun intended.

  • pjmanley September 8, 2014 (8:52 pm)

    @Different look: Here’s the difference: One act is aimed specifically at kids and threatens boundaries around child safety and customary sexual taboos. The other just causes people to throw up their lunch.

  • KM September 8, 2014 (8:52 pm)

    Re: tarps

    You can only protect children from so much, teaching them how to respond in “inappropriate” situations, while working as together to solve a problem (i.e. catch a man acting inappropriately in front of children) is a bigger lesson to grown on.

    Westside had these tarps up shortly after last year’s incidents, and they’re still up. It looks like a prison yard and/or womb.

  • SSF September 8, 2014 (10:34 pm)

    As a Westside parent I appreciated how quickly Westside responded last year. They installed the mesh material on the fence though it’s not beautiful hopefully it deters anyone from exposing themselves to kids. Kids don’t need to be exposed to this.

  • evergreen September 8, 2014 (10:53 pm)

    At least with public schools, cameras = $ no one has. Our district is significantly underfunded. But maybe Holy Rosary could afford cameras and/or additional monitors.

  • ScubaFrog September 8, 2014 (11:21 pm)

    KM are you inferring that there’s a lesson minors can learn from being exposed to naked perverts’ genitalia?

    Because I’m pretty sure there’s not. In fact I’m pretty sure that can be remarkably psychologically damaging to potentially anyone, not just kids.

    Clearly the SPD needs more of a presence at our schools. And the schools need cameras. If they need to install mesh on the fences to protect them from rogue perverts, then so be it. Both the schools, and the SPD need to lead on this issue and protect our kids, and arrest the pervert.

    ‘Different look’, I was appalled by the naked bicyclists. They should have been arrested and charged with lewd conduct. That said, a man taking a sole interest in children, then targeting and flashing his genitals at minors is indeed different than naked bicyclists. Hopefully you can see that distinction. One is a sex crime (or should be) – the other isn’t.

  • sn6uV September 9, 2014 (7:12 am)

    @Different look: Washington’s indecent exposure law makes it a misdemeanor to “make any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm.”, but just being naked is not a crime. As is often the case with the law, the most important word is ‘and’ e.g. one has to be both nude and obscene and trying to cause alarm. The naked riders were likely not obscene, just nude and causing affront to some.

  • AG September 9, 2014 (7:53 am)

    Just being nude (naked bicyclists, many of whom are “clothed” in paint anyway) is one thing – the human body is normal, it’s natural, we all see it in the mirror, and it shouldn’t be a big deal, though our society (myself included) gets a bit puritanical about it. I don’t love seeing all the wagging willies and hairy butts, but they’re not offensive per se. The difference is vast between a random naked person, which is essentially just a piece of art that your deity of choice designed and built, and some jerk whacking his pud intentionally for kids to see. Anyone who can’t see a difference between the two may have other issues they need to work on.

  • JoAnne September 9, 2014 (8:47 am)

    Sorry, but forcing us and our kids/grandkids to be exposed to naked bike riders is crossing my boundaries. They have no right.
    .
    As for the monitoring, these creeps will lay in wait as long as it takes for an opportunity to do their disgusting behavior when only a kid can see.
    .
    If caught they will be trotted through the revolving door at our jail and sent right back.

  • T Rex September 9, 2014 (8:48 am)

    I cannot believe there are still people in this world that think these types of people can get help. They do not get better, they only get worse and less scared the more they get away with it. I would guess this creep is in the early stages of being an abuser.

    Educate yourself. Know the warning signs and trust no one when it comes to your kids. Once it has happened, its too late. And life is never the same for anyone.

    One day this country will realize just how sick these crimes are and one day they will be put away forever. No parole, no warnings to neighborhoods, simply gone.

  • AG September 10, 2014 (8:57 am)

    It seems like this guy may drive multiple vehicles – a silver or white SUV/Wagon and a small black beat-up sedan. How many chubby middle aged white men drive around in full Winnie the Pooh mode (shirt on, no pants or underwear) flashing kids? Actually, don’t answer that. Let’s just hope it’s all the same guy and that the two-year-old tshirt/no pants thing is NOT a trend.

    This guy is clearly a creeper and has been lurking at Holy Rosary at least three times that we know of. It’s DEFINITELY time for cameras that cover the streets around the playground. Heck, I will pitch in a few bucks.

  • Jodie September 11, 2014 (1:34 pm)

    Hilarious! Dude was exposing his shortcomings. If this happens to you, like it has to me, just point and laugh.

  • wsearesident September 21, 2014 (3:23 pm)

    @Jodie Rock on sister! LMFAO if some guy did that to me or my friends.

  • wsearesident September 24, 2014 (11:26 pm)

    Way to go West Seattle you got it wrong and now a guy is in jail wrongfully accused of flashing when this guy who obviously is the right guy is still out there.

Sorry, comment time is over.