Man charged with planting his face in women's buttocks In long talk outside jail, man said it's a misunderstanding

The man accused of intentionally planting his face in the buttocks of multiple women at a West Seattle park has been charged with two counts of indecent liberties and one count of attempted indecent liberties.

Duane Starkenburg, 46, adamantly denied wrongdoing in a Thursday night interview with several reporters following his release on $175,000 bond. He said he knew of two of the alleged victims, but not the third, and said there has been a serious misunderstanding.

In his lengthy rant, Starkenburg complained about the women's identification of him, said he was celibate for seven years, had never touched his partner without her coming out of the shower, clarified details of a violent felony case in which he struck a woman during a road rage incident, and admitted to being at the park.

"Yeah, I do watch women run," he told reporters. "They're runnin' around half naked."

Starkenburg questioned how he's a threat to the community. He also said he has chronic insomnia, and played football half his life, saying he knows how to tackle people. Starkenburg said he hadn't been in Lincoln Park until he started trying to get into shape again last month.

He's now prohibited from entering Lincoln Park, and told reporters he won't be going into parks ever again, "so all you ladies are safe in Lincoln Park."

See his statements in a video below from Q13 Fox. Starkenburg's arraignment, when he's expected to enter a plea, is scheduled for Feb. 10.

Alleged park attacks

On Dec. 15, a woman was running with her Lhasa apso dog when she noticed a man who appeared out of nowhere, and with her permission patted her dog. She described him to police as "a nice guy but creepy," and he continued to be around her.

The woman runner, who had been resting when the man first talked to her, thought it was odd the man said he was injured after jogging. He said he was injured while walking up stairs.

When they reached a flat area, the man got behind her. He slid down the woman's legs to grab her ankles, then went face first onto the ground. The woman reasoned that if he'd fallen, the man would have put his hands out to catch himself, but that didn't happen, according to court documents. She told police she thought the man was trying to get on top of her.

"His nose went up in my butt," she told police. "I was very shocked."

That woman told police she saw him again in the park earlier this month and froze. She didn't call police, but said he wore the same outfit: black pants and a blue hooded sweatshirt. On Wednesday, the woman identified the man as Starkenburg.

Court documents released Thursday show police had the victim in the Dec. 15 case help with a sketch of the suspect. But that sketch was not released publicly.

"Information that detectives develop is usually shared internally, and then externally as the case develops or as circumstances develop," Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said. In cases of serious injury attacks, police typically release sketches sooner.

In the Aug. 11 case, another woman said she was running with her whippet dog in Lincoln Park about 9 a.m. when a man stopped to let her pass. When they were near the bottom of a trail on a downgrade, the man fell and planted his face in her buttocks.

The man asked if she was OK, but the woman felt violated, told detectives she thought it was deliberate and ran away, police said.

She also had no doubt the man was Starkenburg after viewing a police lineup, according to court documents.

About 3:50 p.m. Tuesday, a 27-year-old woman was running on the waterfront trail in Lincoln Park when police say she was grabbed from behind.

After the woman broke free, the suspect fled east through the park toward Fauntleroy Avenue Southwest. Starkenburg was arrested as he tried to cross that street, and police say the victim identified him as the man who attacked her.

Starkenburg said he fell in that case and pleaded not guilty this week when it was being handled by Seattle Municipal Court.

In an interview with police Tuesday, Starkenburg allegedly said "he goes to the park everyday to watch women run as he likes to watch them 'jiggle and bounce,'" Detective Leslie Smith wrote in a probable cause document.

"It's not like I drag the women into the bushes and rape them," Starkenburg allegedly told police.

In one of the incidents, the victim told police the suspect apologized and said the fall was accidental. She wasn't convinced.

Previous felony case

Court documents show Starkenburg, who was required to give a DNA sample as part of a felony conviction, also was ordered to attend a low-level anger management class as part of his previous conviction.

Starkenburg's history includes convictions for misdemeanor assault, property destruction and reckless driving.

On Dec. 13, 2005, he was driving a red Jeep Wrangler on Cloverdale Street when he twice struck his left fender into the door of a woman's vehicle. Police say he struck the woman's car again then confronted her when she stopped.

The woman called 911, but as the operator answered the call, the suspect reached inside the woman's open window and struck her in the left side of her jaw, police say. He then took her cell phone and fled, but not before the woman got his license plate number, court documents show.

Starkenburg's first-degree assault charge was amended to second-degree assault, and on May 12, 2006, he pleaded guilty to the felony. The man was sentenced to three months of work release, as well as the low-level anger management program, according to court documents.

Starkenburg disputed the details of the case following his Thursday night release from King County Jail. Watch that interview below: