West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 updates in flasher investigation

No new flasher incidents reported so far today – but we have two updates:

*Two schools, Madison Middle School and Schmitz Park Elementary School, have sent letters home to parents to make sure they heard about yesterday’s incident in north West Seattle.

*Seattle Police have published an “update” on the Tuesday incidents. Comparing it to what they released yesterday, includes some changes in the story of exactly what happened, and some slight changes to the suspect’s description.

More details on all of the above, ahead:

First, the letters.

*From Madison MS (see the full letter as a PDF here), no additional information on the incident – described as a case “of a man exposing himself to two of our students while they were walking home from school yesterday” and saying police reported “the incident occurred in the 4000 block of 44th Avenue Southwest around 2:50 pm.”

*From Schmitz Park (see the full letter as a PDF here), the letter includes the same description of the Tuesday afternoon incident, but also includes this: “He is believed to be driving a black, 4-door Saturn with silver rims and a baby seat in the back seat of the vehicle.”

*From the SPD Blotter update, the description information now reads as follows:

-From the 44th SW incident:

The suspect was described as a heavy-set White or Hispanic male in his 30′s with short dark hair, tan/olive skin color, scruffy facial hair, wearing glasses with dark rims and a blue t-shirt.

The suspect’s vehicle was described as an older black 4-door sedan with body damage on the driver’s side (small dents) and tinted rear windows.

-From the 32nd SW incident by Westside School:

…white male in his 30s with a partial beard and wearing a hoodie.

23 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 updates in flasher investigation"

  • West Seattle Hipster October 23, 2013 (4:59 pm)

    2 teevee helicopters over Westside School, probably 5 o’clock news.

  • Kgdlg October 23, 2013 (5:02 pm)

    Is chopper over westside school about this?

    • WSB October 23, 2013 (5:06 pm)

      No, in short, police have an operation going to the south and TV was told to back its choppers off. They only backed them off as far as West Seattle.

  • HelperMonkey October 23, 2013 (5:11 pm)

    Bf said there’s choppers (not sure if media or police) and heavy police presence at and around Westwood Village right now. Hope they catch this guy!

    • WSB October 23, 2013 (5:16 pm)

      Sorry to say, the helicopters/police have NOTHING to do with the flasher incident or any other West Seattle incident. What was happening was supposed to be somewhat low-key, but enough information emerged on the radio that TV helicopters zoomed over here. They were told to back off, but didn’t back off very far, according to the zillions of texts and e-mails we got.

  • LS October 23, 2013 (5:42 pm)

    There was a TV truck parked across the street from the entrance of Madison this afternoon around 4pm.

  • alki Resident October 23, 2013 (5:54 pm)

    My friend tells me the flasher went to the Beverly Park Elementary today. A heli is over in that area now.

    • WSB October 23, 2013 (5:57 pm)

      Alki Res – haven’t heard that one; a rumor of another West Seattle school turned out to be unfounded. The helicopters in the area might be related to our other home-page note about TV choppers that have been hovering over here. The White Center-vicinity operation that drew them (they were lurking over Westwood because police told them to back off) reportedly is moving further south.

  • Nwmama October 23, 2013 (8:36 pm)

    Hope everyone keeps an eye out for that car. Not too many saturns around these days. And a car seat in the back??? Yikes. Hope he’s not hurting the children in his family (!) or hoping to grab a child and take off. Scary. I have confidence SPD is gonna get this POS.

  • WESTSIDE ROB October 23, 2013 (9:22 pm)

    HOW ABOUT TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN HOW TO READ A LICENSE PLATE NUMBER. THAT MIGHT HELP THE SITUATION. I’M REALLY SUPRISED, WITH ALL THESE SIGHTINGS OF PERVERTS, THAT NOBODY’S BOTHERED TAKE A LOOK-SEE AT THIS.

  • Megan October 23, 2013 (10:13 pm)

    @Westside Rob – Seriously?! Back-off with all your CAPITALIZED judging. When a young girl is confronted with a grown man masturbating and making eye contact with her the first instinct should be to run away and find a trusted adult as quickly as possible. These poor kids are in shock and frightened. They are not in a position to pause and jot down a license plate number. Thanks to these girls we now have a good description of the car and suspect so it’s up to us in the community now.

    • WSB October 23, 2013 (10:20 pm)

      Not to mention that every account I’ve heard has involved the car being perpendicular to the victims – door open – license plate wouldn’t be visible in that position.

  • WESTSIDE ROB October 23, 2013 (11:05 pm)

    ok, lower case, the message is the same.

  • westsiderob October 23, 2013 (11:57 pm)

    ok, lowercase , but the message is the same.
    seems to me they should stress this message in school, since this seems to happen around the schools,but maybe this a hush-hush subject there also. it’s about time for parents, teachers an the kids to wise up an start taking notes an ###.

  • Elisabeth October 24, 2013 (12:32 am)

    Encountered a Fox TV truck and van parked at 41st and Dakota next to Holy Rosary playground tonight when walking dogs. Two friendly guys said it was a handy location to Madison. It was around 8:30, too dark for flashers to be lurking. Thought the Fox TV presence was a bit odd.

  • anonyme October 24, 2013 (6:44 am)

    The media presence (except WSB, of course) can be a problem. In some of the TV coverage reporters were chasing parents and kids around trying to get comments. How horribly inappropriate to film children while this is going on. It could place a child in the position of being bait for one of these pervs.

  • Evergreen October 24, 2013 (9:04 am)

    Westsiderob, I know you are just trying to be practical and helpful, but it would be dangerous for kids to do anything but run in the OPPOSITE direction of this car. Law enforcement advises this. I’ve taken cell phone photos of suspicious cars, and definitely try to get license plates, but I’m an adult.

  • alki Resident October 24, 2013 (1:27 pm)

    I just want to let you all know that one of the two girls who saw the flasher near Madison was in fact one of my daughters best friends. My daughter is with her and goes home with her after school 90 % of the time. This time she was with someone else.
    This has taken me to a whole new level of anger that I normally don’t have. I was out off and on looking various areas for this guy this week to no avail not even knowing yet that it was our friends who were involved.
    Anyone who has time and a place to walk or drive around,I highly urge you to get out of the house and look for this sick bastard. My daughter can no longer hang out after school in the area until he is found.
    I’ve lost sleep over this and I really hope he is found by the right man or father or someone who will hospitalize this creep.
    Im just waking up to the Gatewood story of a possible abduction and Im so sick to my stomach, and I pray this didn’t happen.
    PLEASE HELP FIND THIS GUY, IM BEGGING YOU.

    • WSB October 24, 2013 (1:31 pm)

      Alki Res, probably no consolation but police ARE on high alert for this guy too – someone told us they had seen a car similar to the description and we said CALL 911 and even amid the not-yet-verified abduction report, they dispatched someone to check out the report. I don’t know how it turned out but it’s clear they are intent on solving this too. I don’t think listening to the scanner is for everyone, and I only do it because this is my job, but if more people did, they would realize police ARE working these cases hard. And I bet a citizen tip will solve this one.

  • Bornonalki October 24, 2013 (2:42 pm)

    Heading out to help patrol the streets to try to keep our kids safe. Mine is long grown and out of the house but I’d be more than happy to be the one to catch this perv !! Let’s get this guy!!!

  • Alki Resident October 24, 2013 (4:06 pm)

    Hi WSB- Yes for sure,I know cops are looking as well. Just can’t be everywhere so if anyone is willing and able to help is all Im asking. Our community will come together in this,I know they will.

  • Jet City October 24, 2013 (11:02 pm)

    I don’t mean to rain on all y’all’s torch & pitchfork parade–I appreciate your vigilance, and I want to stomp this bastard, too–but as a heavyset white guy with short dark hair, dark rimmed glasses and a black 4-door with a baby seat in the back, I can tell you that that description fits A LOT of guys in West Seattle and 99.99% of them are NOT the guy exposing himself. So please, be REALLY careful before you decide to hospitalize anyone.

  • kelly October 28, 2013 (8:06 pm)

    Excellent point, Jet City. My husband was just followed around the neighborhood by car, and then on foot into a business, and confronted by a neighbor. It was just conversation but it was weird. The best part: I’m a block watch captain and I don’t think he remembers meeting both of us at the party in August.

Sorry, comment time is over.