Northacres Park Has Reputation For Sex Trysts

Parks officials, police and neighbors say the North Seattle park where Seattle Education Association President Reese Lindquist allegedly made sexual advances at two teenage youths is notorious for illicit sexual activity.

Northacres Park, in the 12700 block of First Avenue Northeast, off Interstate 5, is one of about five city parks - including Woodland Park and Volunteer Park - particularly known as places where men contact each other for casual sex.

"We've had various complaints, from people having sex in bathrooms to public displays, meeting and greeting," said Seattle Parks Department spokesman Andy Reynolds. "We've worked to do what we can."

On Thursday, King County prosecutors charged Lindquist, a former congressional candidate who has been active as a union official, coach and teacher in the Seattle School District for more than 20 years, with attempted third-degree child molestation and fourth-degree assault in a July 21 incident at the park.

According to senior deputy prosecutor Jeff Baird, Lindquist told special assault Detective Dale Harper he had been in the park that night and contacted two "kids," but denied approaching or touching them sexually.

Lindquist's attorney, Richard Hansen, has said his client is "devastated" by the filing of charges and denies committing any crime. The teenagers said they had never met Lindquist before.

The park's reputation has not been cited as a reason for charging Lindquist, and police and prosecutors have mentioned no connection between the ongoing sexual activity there and the alleged incident.

The park also has a popular running trail and a ballfield.

Beverly Stanton, president of the Haller Lake Improvement Club, said parents have been afraid for years to take young children to the park. Neighbors have seen sex acts in the bushes and men contacting each other in the parking lot.

Seattle Police Sgt. Howard Monta, who supervises patrols in the area, said men tend to approach each other during the lunch hour and after work. He said police over the years had made "considerable arrests" for offenses such as lewd conduct.

"We try to get up there as much as possible for visibility," Monta said. "There's a lot of people who appear to be there for other than health purposes."

With police unable to patrol the park around the clock, neighbors have begun organizing work parties to clear away underbrush and expose other hiding places, said Diane Tarr, an improvement-club member who served on the Police Department's North Precinct advisory council.

Residents also are working with the Parks Department to bring more activities and programs to Northacres.

In the Lindquist case, two youths, ages 15 and 17, told Seattle police a man approached them in the park about 9 p.m. after they had been playing an improvised game of softball. As they walked back through a wooded area to their car, the man asked if they liked to "play games." He then stroked one boy's back while asking if the other enjoyed oral sex, and tried to grab both teens' genitals, they said.

The youths said they ran away, but a woman urged them to get the man's license number. When they gave the number to police, it was traced to Lindquist's car.