Reader report: Suspicion-sparking person at Hiawatha wading pool

| Safety | West Seattle news

This is one of those reports that’s hard to interpret – maybe it wasn’t what it seemed – but Todd asked that we share it, just in case:

Think this is worthy to alert others in WS.

My wife was just at the Hiawatha wading pool [late afternoon] with our 4 yr old daughter and witnessed a older man (70’s) who appeared to be taking pictures somewhat secretly using his phone (looked like a flip phone. It also looked like he had a photo envelope in his hand. My wife walked toward him to take a closer look and he quickly put the phone away and he left the park. He just seemed a bit off. The Seattle Parks worker agreed. She took a picture of the guy and is going to call the police to report the suspicious activity. He was last seen walking down the side street off Walnut toward Fairmount.

Christie July 18, 2011 (10:37 pm)

what time was this? i went to the wading pool at 5:15 – how creepy – i will keep my eyes open the next time i am there.

dr July 19, 2011 (12:14 am)

Typical behavior of a pedophile and most are never caught – never question it.

tmo July 19, 2011 (6:00 am)

Christie, they were there between 3 and 4. Man was there from about 3 to 3:15. A couple more descriptions now that I have seen the photo. He had a white headband and glasses.
Dr, thanks for your advice. My wife’s “this just doesn’t look like normal behavior” meter was going off.

AML July 19, 2011 (7:39 am)

Perfect place for a pedophile- be on the lookout for these creeps at this type of place. I had a similar experience at Hiawatha a few years ago- and luckily there was a police officer in the area- so I alerted him- and he asked the man to leave the area.

Forest July 19, 2011 (7:45 am)

Just perhaps one shouldn’t be so quick with the charge of pedophilia. Not that it isn’t still creepy, but who’s to say he wasn’t photographing the kids’ moms?

jane July 19, 2011 (7:56 am)

there is a convicted level 3 sex offender who lives on 46th near the new Safeway. He does not match this description though.

WSB July 19, 2011 (8:35 am)

And if anyone wonders “how do you know if there is a convicted sex offender living nearby?” we have the link to the database on the Crime Watch page – TR

jissy July 19, 2011 (9:59 am)

Hmmmm, I too had a weird “this just doesn’t look like normal behavior” episode at Hiawatha yesterday! Arrived around noon at the play structure area & noticed an older-ish boy (maybe 13,14) who just didn’t look like he belonged (and of all things, was wearing a Hooters shirt). I thought, o.k., don’t be paranoid, it’s prob. just some bored kid on summer break hanging out at the park and we went to the wading pool area. 2 minutes later, he was at the wading pool area and seemed to be VERY interested in the little girls. He hung around very close to us and then asked me if my little one was my little girl, her name, her age to which I challenged him, “why”? He said he was just curious but then he proceeded to just stare at her and wave and say “Hi little girl” — it was so weird and all my bells and whistles were going off even though he knew I was watching him and staring him down.

There was an older gentleman there, a parks worker w/a badge on so after getting my daughter out of the pool (and having the boy stare at us the whole time I was drying her off and getting her in dry clothes, I tried to shield her as much as possible!), I walked over and asked the older guy if the boy was a frequent visitor (b/c he was now obvious and obviously out of place and another mom who heard him ask me questions and was watching him the whole time, too agreed that his behavior was inappropriate) & I was told he was with the Day Camp program and was “special ed”… while that calmed my concerns a tiny bit, it still wasn’t right. I shared my concerns with the guy and he said he’d speak to his supervisor (I could not tell that he was being supervised on any level).

So the supervisor comes over and the mom that was alarmed with me talked to her a bit and I was back in my original spot collecting my other child and hear the boy saying, “My little cousin is a little girl and I want to buy her a bikini in her size” and the superv. asks, “Why do you like girls so much” to which he says “B/c they’re so cute and sweet and precious” — I mean, CREEPY!!!!! It was just so off… So he says to the supervisor (who was making suggestions for him to go interact with other kids his own age to which he just said, “No, not interested”) I’ll just go back to play on the playground.

It bothered me for the rest of the day & when I told my husband I was sick to my stomach… The boy seemed totally normal to me and I hope the “special ed” label isn’t being used as an excuse for bigger issues. Needless to say, we won’t be going back to Hiawatha this summer if he’s out and about everyday in their summer camp program.

ttt July 19, 2011 (11:55 am)

Forest: mom’s should always listen to their mommy intuition because it is usually right. Even if he were taking pics of the mom: still creepy and inappropriate. Making light jokes of any situation where kids could be taken advantage of is not okay. Kids should be our first priority.

Forest July 19, 2011 (1:47 pm)

ttt –
Which part of my comment do you think is making a joke? And in which part of my comment would you say I failed to specifically call the guy’s behavior “still creepy” no matter if he were taking pictures of the kids or their moms?

Tracy White July 19, 2011 (1:54 pm)

Idle comment, but this and the Casey Anthony trial have really brought to life how the Salem With trials happened to me. There is no proof other than a feeling and the labels and judgments come out.
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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the safety of your child isn’t a paramount concern, nor am I playing devils advocate and saying that there may have been legitimate reasons for their actions, but I totally understand how those people got burnt at the stake now, and that we’re not far off from a reoccurrence at all.

jll July 19, 2011 (2:58 pm)

I don’t think it matters whom the person is taking pictures of…yes much more creepy if taking pictures of the kids, but I wouldn’t want some creepy old guy taking my picture either!

tmo July 19, 2011 (3:04 pm)

By making this post, there was no intent to indict. In short, ask yourself, why do people go to a wading pool? Before I had kids, I found no reason to ever go to a wading pool.

The facts are this:
1. The man was pointing his phone at the kids in the pool
2. He never engaged verbally or otherwise with anyone in the pool or around the park.
3. He was acting in a way that drew 3 different people’s attention
4. When someone walked towards him, he quickly put his phone in his pocket and walked away.

Do these actions fit a typical visitor to a wading pool. I say no.

For all of these reasons, we believed there was a cause for concern for our kid and others.

Not paranoid, just aware of things that don’t fit.

Also, the Seattle Parks worker said that there have been two different cases of registered sex offenders who acted similarly at the Greenlake wading pool and were caught.

Alki lover July 19, 2011 (3:17 pm)

@TW
“Those people” have done harm to children that will affect their life FOREVER!
The safety of our children IS a paramont concern. If us mothers are not proactive and follow our instincts who else is going to!?!

maddy July 19, 2011 (3:19 pm)

re Jissy’s experience. I was the mother of a special-ed child and know that their behavior is not always appropriate and can look suspicious. Esp. as they go into their teens & on up in age. Sometimes it is impossible to determine that they are “special-ed” by just the way they look. These kids have to try really hard to integrate themselves into regular society because alot of people can’t relate to them & these kids always know it. So this may have just been an innocent attempt on his part to interact with the people there. No way really to screen between devient or innocent behavior but the best thing that you did was to contact a park employee. My daughter is now an adult and altho her appropriate behavior has improved – sometimes she becomes very inappropriate and needs to be reined in by an adult.

Cascadianone July 19, 2011 (3:29 pm)

Loner adolescents, random teenagers and childless adults should not be hanging around in areas with unfamiliar children. Or did I miss a memo?

Jim P July 19, 2011 (3:35 pm)

““Why do you like girls so much” to which he says “B/c they’re so cute and sweet and precious” — I mean, CREEPY!!!!! ”

So when your kid’s Grandmother holds your daughter and says she is “cute and sweet and precious” do you snatch her away and report granny to the cops?

Relatives and “trusted” people are about 50 times more likely to abuse children than strangers.

Somewhere around 6,000 children will die this year in car crashes but I bet you don’t even think a moment before strapping your kids into your car.

Caution is one thing, hysterical paranoia is quite another.

Dan July 19, 2011 (4:51 pm)

Very true Jim.
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Um, taking photos in a public area is completely legal. If you don’t want your children photographed, you’ll have to keep them in your house or your fenced-in back yard.
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Either that, or have them wear burqas out in public.

jissy July 19, 2011 (5:15 pm)

@ Jim P: Please, “Hysterical Paranoia” would have been calling the cops. I believe though I sided with “caution” by discussing my concerns with the park worker and keeping an eye on this boy and my child. As for if my kid’s Grandma said the same thing? Come on… it’s apples and oranges, a complete random stranger vs. a trusted blood relation – Give me a little credit.

@maddy – thank you for that, I really did want to give him the benefit of the doubt and not over-react or react to a label.

tracey July 19, 2011 (7:06 pm)

If he was a part of the Hiawatha day camp, where were the instructors (or whomever) for his particular group or class? Shouldn’t the supervisor have just gotten a hold of that person and made him go back with his assigned group?

Nulu July 19, 2011 (8:08 pm)

This is the type of thing that WSB should not be sharing.
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No crime was committed. No one was arrested and charged, yet here we have on display detailed descriptions of a child and an old man taking photographs in a public park.
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What is it that these people are so afraid of?
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What could the old man do with photos of children a the pool?
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“Mommy intuition” is nonsense in the face of the overwhelming odds that any abuser will be a relative or friend.
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With more stories like this, I will feel I am not allowed to walk in the park, stop by the wading pool and enjoy the same pool that I enjoyed 50 years ago and my 11 year old daughter grew out of just several years ago. If I do pause I should make sure I am not carrying a camera or answering a cell phone. Scary!

Jim P. July 19, 2011 (9:55 pm)

“As for if my kid’s Grandma said the same thing? Come on… it’s apples and oranges, a complete random stranger vs. a trusted blood relation – Give me a little credit.”

Credit for what? Your “trusted relatives” are many times more likely to molest or harm your child than J. Random Stranger on a statistical basis. In fact, parents represent the biggest danger overall in terms of reported crimes against children.

I’d worry a heck of a lot more if a priest had been watching those kids play given the general news of the last couple of decades.

The kid gave an honest answer, developmentally disabled people are often very blunt but honest.

I think little girls playing are cute and precious also. As someone once said “Little girls and kittens need no excuse.”

Interest does not necessarily equal evil intent.

Tracy White July 19, 2011 (10:03 pm)

Now I will play a little devil’s advocate. I don’t have kids; they’re not anything that interests me. That doesn’t mean that the sights and sounds of children at play and having fun doesn’t make me happy. I used to work at the Seattle Foundation and there were photos of kids at play on the wall; it occurs to me that perhaps a lonely person just wanted happy images, but knew that the behavior would raise suspicions and didn’t want conflict.

But I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t be careful for your kids’ sake….

bridge to somewhere July 19, 2011 (10:29 pm)

I think every parent has a right to shield their child from any behavior they are uncomfortable with. Who are we to judge their boundaries?

j July 19, 2011 (10:32 pm)

After watching the Jaycee Dugard interview, I’ve been vigilant of those around my daughter in public. Thanks for sharing the info. I’ll keep my eyes peeled!!

JD July 20, 2011 (7:06 am)

Over-protective parents and typical parental hysteria have already ruined so many things for kids these days. No longer can they actually go out and get hurt every once and awhile. Because of your crap it is now impossible to go out to a public place without fear of someone screaming pedophile because someone looks at your brat the wrong way. Like another person said, if your in a public place like a PUBLIC PARK your sense of privacy is gone and should someone take a picture, too bad, you’re in a public place. Public does not mean you have the same sense of privacy as you do in your backyard. As for the mom this happened to, perhaps some nice words and being to the point w/ the “special ed” kid of “You should not be here and I don’t want you around my kid” would have been the jolt the thing needs to move along instead of being passive aggressive.

Kevin July 20, 2011 (4:46 pm)

Come on folks – lets get real. As of July 2011 there is still NO expectation of privacy in a PUBLIC place!
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Our first and forth amendments to the US Constitution recognize that photography is a clearly defined (and well protected) right of free speech!
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You, as a parent have NO right to ask a photographer to delete an image, and the police are UNABLE to even touch a photographers camera without a court order.
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I’ll be happy to admit that the “described” incident does sound a bit creepy. But let’s ease up a bit on the photog. He (in this case) / she may have had their own very VALID reasons for wanting a photo.
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Consider the following photo taken by a young WOMAN just this last weekend at the Pike Place Market during an organized photographer event. This ever so poignant image taken by a less than 20 year old female totally blew away ANY other image taken that afternoon.
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I doubt that mom or dad got the photographers contact info. What a shame.
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http://www.meetup.com/SeaPhoto/photos/2431841/40947751/#40947751
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Justin July 21, 2011 (1:12 am)

Wow. Amazing how many of you completely miss the point. If you don’t care, don’t care. But this isn’t a 1L con law lecture or a dissertation on photographic media.

It’s a parent sharing info about a pervy guy at the pool.

Kevin: nice link. Great photo. And clearly one not taken surreptitiously with a mobile phone.

Jim P./Dan/Nulu: excellent red herrings thrown out there as well. Straw man arguments are always… revealing. That family members are statistically more likely to be a pedophile relates to pointing out this guy’s specifically concerning behavior how, exactly?

Oh, that’s right – it doesn’t at all.

A few weeks back there was an article about a guy trying to get a kid and his brother in to car in Admiral. Is that behavior itself – asking a child to get into your car – illegal? I don’t know. I don’t care. I do know that it is a) highly alarming, b) clearly and fundamentally indicative of seriously bad things, and c) something I’d like to know about as a parent of young kids. Same goes for knowing about pervy guys taking pictures of young kids at the wading pool.

The WSB is a great tool for communicating neighborhood knowledge and opinions – good and bad. Suggesting it has to be illegal for folks to share their concerns in WSB is asinine. If you think it’s overblown, fine. But stop trying to censor the communication.

Jet City July 21, 2011 (2:23 am)

Yes, let’s DO get real. The reality is that sexual predators exist. They are a very real threat we have to be aware of and vigilant about to reduce our risk of sexual assault. A crucial part of that is being aware of suspicious and inappropriate behavior characteristic of sexual predators.
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The reality is, a lone 70 year old guy covertly snapping cellphone pics of little kids in their bathing suits at the wading pool, then scurrying off when approached… is suspicious and inappropriate behavior.
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The reality is, a lone 14 year old boy hanging around the playground and wading pool ogling little girls… is suspicious and inappropriate behavior.
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The two people who saw suspicious, inappropriate behavior at the wading pool did the right thing and addressed it calmly and rationally–even politely from the sound of it–and reported it to the pool and park staff. I say thank you and bravo to both of them!
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The only hysteria in this thread is from the devil’s advocates.
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@Tracy “There is no proof other than a feeling and the labels and judgments come out.”
This is nothing like the Salem Witch Trials. This is two people noticing suspicious behavior. No one has been labelled. No one has been judged. Nobody is calling for executions. “We’re not far off from a recurrence of” the Salem Witch Trials? Seriously??
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@Jim ‘Relatives and “trusted” people are about 50 times more likely to abuse children than strangers.’

More likely, yes. (50 times?? Not quite. More like 9-10x). To which I respond a resounding, “SO WHAT??!” That statistic results from the fact that the child abuser has greater access to children s/he is related to or acquainted with, and that abusers will “groom” and entice their victims into a trusting relationship, thus developing an acquaintance before victimizing them.
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You seem to be arguing that because the probability of a stranger assault is statistically lower than an acquaintance assault, the threat can safely be ignored. Is that the jist of what you’re saying? A parent at the wading pool should perform a risk analysis and think to themselves, “Hmmm, that old guy seems to be be perving on the kids and secretly snapping pictures of toddlers in bikinis…. but y’know, my buddy Jim P told me that guy is a heckuva lot more likely to go home and molest his own granddaughters than my kids, so I’ll just let him be.”?