Seattle man accused of exposing himself; residents want justice

SEATTLE — A Seattle man is accused of exposing himself to children, masturbating in public, and repeated stalking.

But despite his alleged rap sheet, he’s only facing misdemeanor charges and has even faced no charges during previous incidents. Victims say he’s a sexual predator that terrorizes the Lake City community. The 21-year-old is known in the area by the nickname “Vee.”

One Seattle mom only learned of Vee after he allegedly exposed himself to her 7-year-old daughter and another 9-year-old girl. The mother says she was “horrified” after learning of his criminal history from police.

“They just kind of casually mentioned, ‘yeah we’ve probably arrested him 10, 12 times for the same thing,’” says the mother.

She posted about the incident on Facebook, where she was quickly connected with more victims.

Alaina was one of the victims who reached out. She accuses Vee of exposing himself on a daily basis outside her apartment building and stalking women in the area. Within weeks, Alaina says Vee began to target her and in one instance, he attacked her.

“He came at me. I was running away from him. He grabbed me. Injured me,” says Alaina.

Vee was arrested, only to return days later to the complex. Alaina says he does not live at the complex; he just comes to harass residents.

At another apartment complex in Lake City, a woman named Staci calls his harassment relentless.

“Every time I leave my apartment building, I look for him,” says Staci. “We’re terrorized by this man every single day. And the courts should be ashamed.”

The man is currently in custody for indecent exposure, having been arrested for indecent exposures in the past. At times, he has been conditionally released. However, the victim’s mother says his history shows a cycle of being arrested, released, and then reoffending.

“He knows that he can get released in this loophole in a system that we have,” says the victim’s mother. “And ultimately somebody’s going to get hurt. A woman or a child will be hurt by him.”

She believes that Vee should face felony charges for exposing himself to her young daughter.

A statement from the Seattle City Attorney’s Office on this case states: “This case was picked up and referred as a felony to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. After determining that it did not meet the filing standards for a felony (pursuant to RCW 9A.88.010), KCPAO (King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office) referred this case to our office. Our office worked closely with King County Jail and Seattle Police Department to ensure that [Vee] would be rebooked on misdemeanor charges and not released.”

Vee instead has pending gross misdemeanor charges. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office tells KIRO 7 that decision falls with local police.

“The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has never had a felony case involving [Vee] referred to us by Seattle Police, or any police agency. We need a case referred to us by police in order to file charges that could lead to jail or prison time for a felony crime.”

“If police do refer a felony case to us, of course we would address it immediately,” says director of communications Casey McNerthney. “But the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which handles felony crimes, cannot file a case that hasn’t been sent to us.”

The Seattle Police Department tells KIRO 7 that it is limited by the legal framework of each law. In most cases, indecent exposure is a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor, not a felony.

The mother and three victims who spoke with KIRO 7 asked for anonymity. They expressed fear that Vee would continue to target them if he makes bail.

“I walk around with a knot in my stomach knowing he’ll be released soon,” says the victim’s mother.

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