Police say Seafair pirate gave 'forceful' kiss to woman during Daffodil Parade

PUYALLUP, Wash. — A Seafair pirate forcefully kissed a woman during the Daffodil Parade in Puyallup, according to police.

The man likely will face a fourth-degree assault charge after the Saturday incident, police Capt. Ryan Portmann told The Tacoma News Tribune on Monday. A former Seafair Pirate who was a spokesman for the group for 14 years told KIRO 7 there's a more systematic issue of bad behavior by the pirates.

The Puyallup Police Department posted on its Facebook blotter over the weekend that the woman who was kissed is a bus driver. The kiss shocked the woman and cut her lip slightly, according to police.

She drove for one of the schools with students participating in the four-part parade, which left police little time to interview her before she had to take her students to Sumner.

The pirate had kissed two other bus drivers on the cheek, Portmann said.

“One of the pirates took the cheek kiss and advanced that to the lips, and she didn’t like that,” Portmann said of the third driver. “I guess it was pretty forceful.”

The pirate, who is associated with the Seafair float, then gave the woman his business card, police said. The Seafair float is known in part for the loud cannon it fires during the parade each year.

The pirates’ website said Monday the man is no longer a Seafair pirate.

"It has been brought to our attention the inappropriate conduct of one our members at a community parade over the weekend," the statement reads. "The Seattle Seafair Pirates condemn any behavior that places the safety of others in jeopardy and/or violates personal spaces and boundaries."

Mark Jensen, the longtime spokesman for the pirates, left in 2012 because he said some of his fellow pirates could not seem to keep their hands to themselves. Jensen said the pirates have been quietly banned from several summer parades over the years.

Jensen and other former pirates KIRO 7 spoke with said the man accused of aggressively giving an unwanted kiss to a woman Saturday in Puyallup was especially embarrassing to the organization. They said despite previous concerns, nothing was done.

“Six or seven complaints of, I don't want to say sexual assault, but inappropriate behavior,” Jensen said.

Jensen said he is speaking out because he stayed involved with the Holiday Treasure Chest Charity, which he said is not directly affiliated with the pirates anymore in part he said because of issues with inappropriate behavior.

Jensen hopes exposing issues with the pirates will help improve the organization he loved for so long.

“If you are true goodwill ambassadors to the Pacific Northwest, understand what that means,” Jensen said.

Police have not yet been able to verify the identity of the pirate.

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