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A 62-year-old West Seattle man has been charged by King County prosecutors with the Class A felony offense of child molestation in the first degree after in one visit to her West Seattle home allegedly first tickling and then groping the buttocks of his developmentally disabled niece, age seven, over her strong objections. She is described in court records as suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum syndrome disorder, sensory deprivation disorder, attachment disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. A separate Seattle Police incident report adds that according to her mother “her mental state is much closer to that of a three-year-old than age seven.” The defendant is Thomas Michael Weishampel, who according to the Seattle Police probable cause report in the court case file, resides in the 8400 block of 40th Ave. Southwest.
Additionally the probable cause report – which forms the basis of the King County Superior Court April 13 charging documents against Weishampel – states that police on April 1 received via the Child Protective Services division of the Washington State Department of Human and Social Services a referral document discussing his proclivities, based on his own admission to a doctor. It indicated “the complainant Dr. Mark Hawley from the VA Hospital reported that the patient suspect Weishampel disclosed to him that he has a history of sexually abuse (sic) ‘improper touching’ of minors. Suspect Weishampel reported that the last time he touched a child inappropriately occurred a few weeks ago.”
The charging documents give the date of the alleged molestation of his niece as March 9. The police summary of the CPS referral continued that according to VA doctor Hawley, “Suspect Weishampel stated that he did not want to be engaged with minor children, but was having a hard time controlling himself.”
Working on recovery in local Sexaholics Anonymous group
A letter in the court file from a Shoreline man whose name we are not publishing, Weishampel’s sponsor in the 12-step group Sexaholics Anonymous, says Weishampel has been involved in the group for three years, often attending meetings and reaching out for phone support, and is making a robust “recovery” effort. The letter was written to attest that Weishampel was not a flight risk if released on bail. Weishampel is out on electronic home detention. He is also undergoing radiation treatments for prostate cancer, according to another letter in the court file, from an oncologist at the Puget Sound Veterans Administration hospital on Beacon Hill.
Although the police probable cause report based on information provided by Seattle Police detective Juan Tovar states there were two prior cases, one in Skagit County and one in Seattle, in which Weishampel was named as a child molestation suspect, there is no indication that actual criminal charges were filed in either instance. We have a pending request to Seattle Police for those documents.
Alleged victim’s family moved here to be closer to alleged perp’s wife, aunt of girl
According to the Seattle Police probable cause report in the King County charging papers, the alleged molestation by Weishampel of his niece occurred when he came to the home of her parents; the victim’s mother is the sister of Weishampel’s wife. The separate, Seattle Police incident, or initial intake report, adds that the family recently moved to Seattle to be closer to the alleged victim’s mother’s sister, the defendant’s husband. Although the mother of the alleged victim had vague knowledge of a supposed past molestation incident involving Weishampel and was thus “wary” of him, according to the police incident report, he was allowed in.
The probable cause report stated he was there to work on an unspecified project with the parents, but was first called over to the computer by the alleged victim, his niece, who wanted to show him a picture. He came over and sat in a chair while she stood. The girl’s mother was standing about 12 feet away and soon heard her softly but urgently whisper, “no, don’t do that.” The girl later claimed to her mother Weishampel had been tickling her buttocks.
Shortly after that alleged incident, the girl plus her mother and father and Weishampel were eating lunch at a table in the family’s residence when one of the parents allegedly saw Wesihampel’s hand groping the girl’s buttocks, at which according to the probable cause report she screamed, “Stop that, get your hand off my butt.” In both cases the alleged improper touching occurred over her clothes, not under.
According to the Seattle Police intake report, Weishampel was immediately asked to leave the home, and did, but several hours later phoned the mother asking her, in the language of the report, “not to make a big deal of the incident.” She said she would be contacting police and he was no longer welcome in their home.
Almost two weeks later on March 21, in a conversation with a child interview expert, according to the probable cause report, the alleged victim said her uncle’s alleged actions made her feel sad and that she didn’t like it when he touched her buttocks.
The next court date in the case is May 21, for a scheduling hearing. The next court date in the case is May 21, for a scheduling hearing. Child molestation in the first degree is under Washington state law a Class A felony punishable by imprisonment for up to a life sentence or a fine of up to $50,000 or both. Standard sentencing ranges are less.
Weishampel’s past and work history are unclear. He is listed in a lengthy online roster of alcohol wholesalers provided by the U.S. Treasury Department Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, under license number WA-P-3535, and currently dated this on April 28, 2013, as a co-owner of Market Cellar Winery, 1432 Western Ave, Seattle. Retail neighbors of the establishment told a reporter on site earlier this week it is open just Fridays through Sundays as a tasting room featuring the wines of two regional vintners. The business was closed but through a crack in the blinds appeared to be a small wine tasting space. Weishampel and his wife, who also own a residential property in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, additionally are on record online as commenting to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in opposition to proposed new regulation of local milk handlers and producers in the Pacific Northwest.
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