Teh One Who Knocks
07-07-2011, 03:40 PM
by Michael Rollins - KGWNews
http://i.imgur.com/4Rgac.jpg
OREGON CITY -- A registered sex offender was arrested Friday after roaming around the Clackamas Aquatic Center and talking with children while impersonating a woman, wearing a bra with lipstick and eye liner applied.
Thomas Lee Benson entered a women's locker room and a hot tub, but was spotted by an alert chaperone, said Clackamas County sheriff's office spokesman Det. Jim Strovink.
The chaperone chased Benson out of the aquatic center, through Sears, and into the parking lot. He kept the suspect from escaping via a carjacking as deputies pulled up.
Benson, 39, of Gresham, was accused of two counts of unlawful contact with a child, unlawfully being in a location where children congregate, third-degree robbery and attempted unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
The incident unfolded about 3 p.m. Friday at the Aquatic Center at 7300 SE Harmony Road which was full of busloads of children, said Strovink.
Tayo G. Cotton, 26, an educational coordinator at Self Enhancement Inc. in Portland was supervising a large group of children when he went over to them after hearing giggling and laughing.
He and other adults quickly realized that the children were talking about a man who had gone into the women's locker room and a hot tub. The man had also struck up several conversations with children.
Cotton (pictured here at left) spotted the suspect, dressed in a white tank top, shorts and carrying a bag, leaving the dressing room and tried to stop him. The man realized he was being followed by Cotton and his brisk walk turned into a sprint, Strovink said.
The two ran into the Clackamas Town Center parking lot, then through the Sears department store and into the lot outside Sears.
"Cotton was unyielding in his pursuit," Strovink said, as the suspect started to try and open car doors.
Cotton told KGW Wednesday "I was very very upset. I was glad he was caught. I hope he gets charged with a lot. It's people like that that just really upset me."
The suspect was able to reach through an open rear window of a car being driven slowly by an unsuspecting woman. Cotton grabbed the suspect by the shoulders, pulling him away. Just then, a deputy arrived and cuffed the suspect, Strovink said.
Deputies investigating the arrest recognized Benson from what Strovink described as "an established criminal history."
KGW reported in June, 2007 that Benson was caught doing the same thing at Mount Scott Community Center. At that time, a witness saw him watching girls changing for swim lessons. He was wearing a bra and refused to turn and face the witness.
He had previously been convicted and served time for a 1994 conviction for child sexual abuse. He was to have no direct contact with children.
Since he had not actually touched the girls at Mount Scott, he was charged with invasion of privacy and misuse of a public restroom. He made bail just hours after that incident.
http://i.imgur.com/4Rgac.jpg
OREGON CITY -- A registered sex offender was arrested Friday after roaming around the Clackamas Aquatic Center and talking with children while impersonating a woman, wearing a bra with lipstick and eye liner applied.
Thomas Lee Benson entered a women's locker room and a hot tub, but was spotted by an alert chaperone, said Clackamas County sheriff's office spokesman Det. Jim Strovink.
The chaperone chased Benson out of the aquatic center, through Sears, and into the parking lot. He kept the suspect from escaping via a carjacking as deputies pulled up.
Benson, 39, of Gresham, was accused of two counts of unlawful contact with a child, unlawfully being in a location where children congregate, third-degree robbery and attempted unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
The incident unfolded about 3 p.m. Friday at the Aquatic Center at 7300 SE Harmony Road which was full of busloads of children, said Strovink.
Tayo G. Cotton, 26, an educational coordinator at Self Enhancement Inc. in Portland was supervising a large group of children when he went over to them after hearing giggling and laughing.
He and other adults quickly realized that the children were talking about a man who had gone into the women's locker room and a hot tub. The man had also struck up several conversations with children.
Cotton (pictured here at left) spotted the suspect, dressed in a white tank top, shorts and carrying a bag, leaving the dressing room and tried to stop him. The man realized he was being followed by Cotton and his brisk walk turned into a sprint, Strovink said.
The two ran into the Clackamas Town Center parking lot, then through the Sears department store and into the lot outside Sears.
"Cotton was unyielding in his pursuit," Strovink said, as the suspect started to try and open car doors.
Cotton told KGW Wednesday "I was very very upset. I was glad he was caught. I hope he gets charged with a lot. It's people like that that just really upset me."
The suspect was able to reach through an open rear window of a car being driven slowly by an unsuspecting woman. Cotton grabbed the suspect by the shoulders, pulling him away. Just then, a deputy arrived and cuffed the suspect, Strovink said.
Deputies investigating the arrest recognized Benson from what Strovink described as "an established criminal history."
KGW reported in June, 2007 that Benson was caught doing the same thing at Mount Scott Community Center. At that time, a witness saw him watching girls changing for swim lessons. He was wearing a bra and refused to turn and face the witness.
He had previously been convicted and served time for a 1994 conviction for child sexual abuse. He was to have no direct contact with children.
Since he had not actually touched the girls at Mount Scott, he was charged with invasion of privacy and misuse of a public restroom. He made bail just hours after that incident.