Man knocked female student down and groped her as she walked to school, Olympia police say
A 15-year-old Capital High School student was knocked to the ground and groped as she walked to the west Olympia school on Feb. 6, The Olympian has learned.
Just before 9 a.m. that Tuesday, the girl was walking along a gravel path near Limited Lane Northwest, which is near the southwest corner of the high school campus, said Olympia police Lt. Paul Lower. It is also north of Harrison Avenue.
The man ran up to her, knocked her to the ground and groped her, he said. The girl began kicking and screaming and the man ran off, Lower said. He was last seen running toward Limited Lane.
The student then ran to school and reported it to school officials, he said. Capital High School went into a lockout at that time. Olympia School District spokeswoman Susan Gifford said lockout means all exterior doors are locked, but classes proceed as normal inside the building.
The man is described as white, 25-40 years old with a medium build. The man was wearing a black Fedora-style hat, black jacket, blue jeans and dark-colored running shoes with bright orange soles.
Lower said there was a large police response that morning, but the man remains at large.
Mother responds
The girl’s mother, Ashley, who asked to use only her first name to protect her daughter’s identity, reached out to The Olympian after the story was published.
She said her daughter is doing OK, although she is scared to walk to the bus stop. Her daughter previously rode Intercity Transit to school, but now takes a school bus, or walks to school with her boyfriend, she said.
Ashley said she has taught her kids to defend themselves, and if they find themselves in a frightening situation, they should “kick, scream, fight, cuss, yell and do everything they can to get away and run to safety.”
“She did exactly that and I’m really proud of her,” Ashley said.
Ashley said that when she was a high school student, there was a person who rode a bike or drove a golf cart around the campus to keep an eye on things. She would like to see something similar at Capital High School.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Olympia police at 360-753-8300.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 12:37 PM.
