Lake Forest Park man faces charges for indecent exposure near Seattle elementary schools

SEATTLE — A 34-year-old Lake Forest Park man is in custody, accused of exposing himself to young girls near elementary schools multiple times.

According to Seattle police, there have been at least 14 incidents that were since January. The incidents happened in the Queen Anne and Magnolia neighborhoods near Coe, Magnolia, and Catherine Blaine elementary schools.

Police arrested Cameron Javad Sharif on March 14, connecting him to the case through video surveillance, which caught the suspect and his vehicle. Sharif is being charged with 13 counts of indecent exposure and two counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

“The police came by the house and talked to my wife and just told us they were looking for somebody, and did we see anybody and checked our Ring camera, but we hadn’t seen anybody,” Charles Bigger, who lives near Coe Elementary, said.

RELATED: Serial flasher sought after recent incidents near schools in Magnolia, Queen Anne

KOMO News spoke with one parent who wanted to remain anonymous, but shared that her 13-year-old daughter was targeted near Coe Elementary in February.

“He walked up very closely behind her and got her attention, and she turned around, and he was exposing himself,” she said. “Of course, she backed up immediately and ran.”

The victim’s mother said her daughter ran down the block to a woman for help, and the incident was just a few blocks from where another girl had also been targeted.

“It was very scary for her because she was all by herself when it happened,” the victim’s mother said. “In my personal opinion, that shows an escalation, that he is escalating his crime.”

The victim's mother also spoke with me about how big of an impact this has had on her daughter, who now doesn't want to walk the dog alone, be at home alone, or take public transportation.

Other similar incidents happened near Magnolia and Catherine Blaine elementary schools. The victims in multiple cases said the suspect approached them asking for directions, then exposed himself.

“There's escalation, and there was planning involved coming back to the same place targeting children,” the victim’s mother said. “All of this is very scary from a victim's perspective. These girls are traumatized.”

The suspect appeared in court Friday afternoon and pleaded not guilty. Court records do not list any prior criminal history. The suspect’s bail was set at $30,000, and he’s subject to electronic home monitoring if released. The suspect is also ordered to have no contact with any minors and is due back in court on March 27.