BREMERTON, Wash. — Police arrested a Level 3 sex offender minutes after two women were attacked near Stephenson Canyon Park in Bremerton Friday night.
The women, ages 21 and 22, were walking their dogs on the trails in the park in East Bremerton.
At 5:20 p.m., they were approached by a man who made some comments and then grabbed one of the woman's breasts and then took her cellphone from her pocket, saying, "This is my phone."
The man then grabbed the other woman's breasts as she was trying to call 911 on her cellphone. As he tried to get that phone, she threw it to the other woman as the man threw her to the ground and tried to choke her.
The woman was able to fight him off and the man left heading south through a wooded area.
Officers responded, were given a description by the women and then found and arrested the man as he was trying to leave the park.
The arresting officer said the man was sweating profusely and was shaking uncontrollably when he was placed into handcuffs. The victims positively identified the man as the person who had attacked them.
The man was identified as 30-year-old Vern Hess. Hess, a registered Level 3 sex offender who was convicted of two sex offenses in Pierce County in 2013, was jailed on $500,000 bail. He may be charged with second-degree robbery and fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation.
Cox Media Group
