ONLY ON KIRO 7: Man charged in West Seattle lewd conduct case tells police he's ‘aroused by students'

SEATTLE — KIRO 7 has obtained new court documents that show how investigators are trying to determine whether the man arrested outside of Chief Sealth High School is responsible for other recent indecent exposure incidents at schools in West Seattle -- through cellphone records.

Reporter Amy Clancy has also learned that Danen Romine told police he's "aroused by students."

Romine, 34, was arrested two blocks from Chief Sealth High School on Oct. 25. After first telling police he had pulled over to answer work-related texts and e-mails, Romine later admitted to investigators he exposed his penis and masturbated in his vehicle. He's now charged with indecent exposure.

According to police documents filed this week in King County Superior Court, detectives with the Seattle Police Department have been mapping the locations of Romine's home, his work and where the indecent exposure incidents have been reported at West Seattle schools since early September.

Romine was arrested in the 2400 block of SW Thistle, two blocks east of Chief Sealth. The married father of two lives a mile and a half away, on 7th Avenue Southwest. He works in the 4700 block of 42nd Ave. SW.

According to the new documents, "Romine's route to and from work places him in the path of the schools where the lewd conduct has been occurring such as: Chief Sealth High School 2600 SW Thistle St., West Side School 7740 34th Ave. SW, and Holy Rosary School 4142 42nd Ave. SW."

According to the same documents, Romine admitted to police that he "masturbated numerous times in this same area" and is "aroused by students."

Investigators are now forensically searching Romine's cellphone because detectives want to know, quote: "if he was photographing students, or if he has photographed students in the past. Romine admitted to masturbating to students on more than one occasion, and he has masturbated to women running on the roadway."

On the day he was arrested, Romine told detectives he wouldn't allow them to search his cellphone without a warrant. Investigators took custody of his phone that day and filed a search warrant.

Romine also refused to provide the SPD with a DNA sample.

KIRO 7 tried getting Romine's side of the story the night he bailed out of jail, and when he showed up to court the following week, but he never made any comments.

At Romine’s West Seattle house on Friday night, no one answered the door.

Here is KIRO 7's coverage on the school incidents:

• Man arrested in lewd conduct incident in West Seattle (Oct. 26)
• Charges in lewd conduct case referred to state prosecutor (Oct. 29)

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