Man’s alleged flash to pass gets him charged

Published 11:14 pm Friday, July 10, 2009

MALTBY — A Bothell man frustrated with his fellow motorists opted to flash more than his middle finger to express his impatience.

The man, 51, and a convicted sex offender, is accused of dropping his pants and exposing his genitals to two women who were driving too slowly for his taste. The man is now charged with felony indecent exposure for his revealing reaction.

He claimed he only flipped off the women.

The women were adamant that what they saw wasn’t a finger. Both were certain they saw an “average to small-sized penis,” Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Tammy Bayard wrote.

Last April, a woman, 34, was driving along Paradise Lake Road when she noticed a black Corvette tailgating her. She slowed down to let the man pass. He didn’t. So she pulled over to let him by.

The Corvette also pulled off the road and the driver began getting out of his car. Frightened, the woman sped off. The Corvette passed her farther up the road. As she approached a hill, she saw the driver standing outside of his vehicle.

The car’s flashers weren’t on, but there was flashing, according to court papers.

The man’s trousers were open and he was exposing himself to another woman, 42, driving a white car.

The first woman slowed down when she saw that the man was standing in the road. She said the man stuck out his tongue at her and shook his genitals, Bayard wrote.

The women drove away and then pulled off the road and called 911.

While on the phone, they saw the Corvette pass them. They got the license plate and relayed the number to police.

A deputy tracked down the Corvette driver. The Bothell man explained that he was frustrated with the slow drivers. He demonstrated for the deputy how he flipped off the women.

He kept his zipper closed.

The man denied exposing himself, explaining that he is working to earn a less-restrictive sex-offender status.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com.