Naked Washington man in park was 'just in the woods masturbating, minding my own business'

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A man who told police that he just wanted "alone time" to masturbate in the woods is charged with felony indecent exposure for an incident that escalated to a tussle with a passerby on a Maple Valley nature trail.

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Kenton Shaull, 55, admitted to police he was "jerking off" along the Lake Wilderness Trail about 20 miles southeast of Seattle, but found himself tussling with a man who took offense to his actions and tried to summon police

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The incident occurred about 7 p.m. Sept. 18, when 911 callers reported a naked man fighting someone on the trail near the 23000 block of Southeast Lake Wilderness Drive South.

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When deputies arrived at the scene, they heard "crashing" coming from a ditch and found two men, Shaull, who appeared to have a bloodied mouth, and a 42-year-old man, both covered in mud and dirt

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When a deputy asked Shaull what happened, he allegedly yelled, "He found me with my (expletive) in my hand, jerking off, and kicked my (expletive)."

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He contended that he never had any "alone time" and said that while he walked on the trail, he found a private location and began "jerking off."

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The 42-year-old man told a deputy he and his wife saw Shaull masturbating above the trail and so he hit him and placed him in a choke hold. He reportedly told Shaull to stay put while someone summoned police and asked passing women to call 911.

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He later explained that he saw Shaull facing away from them and asked what he was doing, during which time Shaull put his clothes back on. Shaull allegedly said, "Bro, cut me some slack, I was just in the woods masturbating, minding my own business" and claimed he was "just a guy trying to take care of his needs."

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Deputies arrested Shaull and took him to an emergency room for treatment of his injuries. He declined to pursue charges against the man who attacked him. A deputy searched a drawstring bag he possessed, which contained several pornographic magazines and some sexual paraphernalia

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Shaull has been previously convicted of indecent exposure, making his current alleged offense a felony. He also had a prior indecent exposure charge dismissed after fulfilling court-ordered deferred prosecution requirements

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