VASHON, Wash. - Theo Krah hauls firewood for his parents at their Vashon Island home. The 22-year-old has got a lot of time on his hands. He was recently fired as a lifeguard at the Vashon Pool, but he stands behind what he did.
As individuals, we know when something is right and when it's not, he said.
Theo says for weeks he'd sit in his lifeguard chair and watch a 60-year-old man stare at little girls and strike up conversations with teenagers.
He was definitely eyeing up kids, it was ridiculous, he said.
Theo also heard rumors.
It was through the grapevine, but he had essentially been lurking in the bushes looking at underage girls coming out of a local business, said Theo.
Theotold his bosses about it. They said until the man physically did something, nothing could be done. So Theo kept watching and thought he saw something weird.
He actually ended up walking up in the path of a really little girl and she had to move out of his way to not be touched by him and Iwatched him do it, said Theo.
Theo told the man to leave the pool -a violation of his post as a junior lifeguard. He was immediately let go.
We're in a swimming pool, people are running around in their swimsuits, people look at each other, says Vashon Park District program coordinator Susan McCabe.
She says the man did not break the law, but Theo crossed the line.
We interviewed other employees. No one saw anything or felt uncomfortable, says McCabe.
Theo recently took his case to a commissioner's meeting. He's requesting that more power be given to lifeguards. The district is considering it.
What we decided to do after that commissioners meeting is to review the safety protocol for adults, so in other words, when is a lifeguard empowered to address an adult and when should they go about doing that? says McCabe.
Theo says looking back he'd do it again. He won't get his job back but he's hoping for changes in pool policy.
Lifeguards should have the final authority if they see something. They are on the front lines at the pool right?
The pool allows lifeguards to take action when children are acting inappropriately, but when it comes to adults the rules are murky.
We did check the background of the man in question and found his online writings about nudity and poems about children. We found nothing criminal in his past.
