Seattle police have identified a level 3 sex offender with a long history of assaulting strangers in public places as the suspect who allegedly groped a woman Sunday near Westlake Park.
The 36-year-old Kirkland man, who is under state Department of Corrections (DOC) supervision, was recognized by DOC officers after the victim of Sunday’s alleged groping posted his photo on her Twitter account, police said.
He was taken into custody Wednesday for probation violations, according to DOC spokeswoman Norah West.
On Thursday morning, the man had been confirmed as the groping suspect and police are investigating the possibility of more victims, according to department spokesman Det. Patrick Michaud. Earlier, he was only considered a person of interest.
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He said police want to hear from anyone who may have had contact with the suspect. They can call the department’s Sexual Assault Unit at 206-684-5575 and leave a message with contact information and a description of what happened.
West said the man’s DOC-mandated GPS bracelet indicated he had violated his probation by being in a Seattle park and being out past his curfew. West did not name the park.
The victim, 28-year-old Julia Marquand, said she was frustrated by the lack of response from police after she reported the incident, so she posted a picture on Twitter of the man and mentioned the Seattle Police Department’s Twitter handle and those of a few media outlets.
Marquand, a Belltown resident, told The Seattle Times she was walking near Westlake Park when the man groped her as she entered a store. She yelled at him and he “nervously” apologized before quickly walking off.
Marquand later confronted the man again and took his picture. “He promised he wouldn’t do it again and said, ‘Please don’t take my picture,’ and I said, ‘Too late! If you don’t want your picture taken, then don’t grope women.’ ”
Marquand went to the Police Department’s West Precinct to file a report but came away feeling the officer was not interested in the case despite the photo. That’s when she decided to turn to social media.
On Tuesday, police said there was a “deficiency” in the way her case was handled and assigned it to a detective.
After learning police had identified a person of interest, Marquand said Wednesday she was happy and felt “vindicated.”
“Finally being a loud mouth paid off,” she said.
Marquand also said she has heard from a number of women who believe they may have been groped by the same man.
The Seattle Times is not naming the man because he has not been charged in connection with the assault on Marquand.
According to West, the DOC spokeswoman, the man has been supervised out of DOC’s Special Assault Unit for a 2012 third-degree-assault conviction from King County and was scheduled to finish his supervision on Jan. 20, 2016.
Court records show the man has a long history of groping strangers.
In February 2012, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison for third-degree assault after he grabbed a woman’s breast as she sat on a bench at University Village.
He served five months with credit for the time he served in jail, according to West.
According to charges filed in that case, the woman told Seattle police that she was on a work break when the suspect interrupted her and introduced himself. The woman told police she politely shook his outstretched hand and then he reached down, rubbed her head and grabbed for her left breast.
Court documents also show the man was arrested by University of Washington police in 2002 for indecent liberties after he allegedly approached a stranger and ran his fingers through her hair and then down her face, while making kissing sounds. He grabbed her breast and made crude, sexual comments.
When she pulled away, he shouted profanities at her, according to court records.
In 2003, he was convicted of third-degree assault for approaching a woman he didn’t know and wrapped his arm around her neck and grabbed her breast, court documents show.
Also in 2003, court documents say the man was convicted of fourth-degree assault for grabbing a woman’s buttocks.
Seattle Times news assistant Miyoko Wolf contributed to this story, which includes information from Times archives.Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @SeattleSullivan.