A Level III sex offender identified as a person of interest in a weekend groping incident near Westlake is now a suspect in the case. Detectives are compiling a case against the man, while also investigating him for other similar crimes.
The 36-year-old suspect—who has a history of similar crimes—remains in custody at the King County Jail.
Police identified the man as a person of interest in the case Wednesday after Department of Corrections officers arrested him for violation of his DOC supervision.
Police began investigating the incident after a woman contacted police and said a man had groped her as she was walking near Westlake. The victim photographed the man and contacted police about the incident. An officer documented the report, but did not collect the woman’s photo, which the victim later circulated online through social media.
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.