White Center phone shop worker accused of groping teen
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WHITE CENTER, Wash. -- A simple fix for a cell phone became a night of terror for a White Center girl on Wednesday.
Her mother, Faithe Blocker, held Christina tight Friday evening.
"I never thought that something like this would happen to my child," Blocker said.
On Wednesday, Christina went to a phone store around the corner from her home to get her SIM card fixed, but the man working behind the counter is accused of offering something much different.
"He asked me what I did for fun. He asked me if I want to go to a party with him. Asked me what I was doing," Christina said
Christina said the man tried to shoo others out of the store, but kept her there.
"He helped them, and then went back to helping me and came up with all these different excuses pretty much," she said.
Then, according to police, 25 year old Edgar Rodriguez began touching Christina's stomach and back. They say he then locked the front door, put her in the dark back bathroom and touched her body underneath her clothes. He also tried to kiss her, according to police.
Eventually she fought him off and ran home -- to a mother who says she blames herself.
"She still feels scared. She's terrified. She shakes," Blocker said
They wanted to share what they said happened inside that store to help others speak out. Christina wants others to fight back.
"I just don't want them to feel scared to tell anyone," Christina said. "And I just don't want them to go through what I had to go through because it hurts it doesn't go away."
Police arrested Rodriguez and he was booked into jail on suspicion of kidnapping and attempted rape, though officials from the King County sheriff's office said those will likely be changed to taking indecent liberties.
Her mother, Faithe Blocker, held Christina tight Friday evening.
"I never thought that something like this would happen to my child," Blocker said.
On Wednesday, Christina went to a phone store around the corner from her home to get her SIM card fixed, but the man working behind the counter is accused of offering something much different.
"He asked me what I did for fun. He asked me if I want to go to a party with him. Asked me what I was doing," Christina said
Christina said the man tried to shoo others out of the store, but kept her there.
"He helped them, and then went back to helping me and came up with all these different excuses pretty much," she said.
Then, according to police, 25 year old Edgar Rodriguez began touching Christina's stomach and back. They say he then locked the front door, put her in the dark back bathroom and touched her body underneath her clothes. He also tried to kiss her, according to police.
Eventually she fought him off and ran home -- to a mother who says she blames herself.
"She still feels scared. She's terrified. She shakes," Blocker said
They wanted to share what they said happened inside that store to help others speak out. Christina wants others to fight back.
"I just don't want them to feel scared to tell anyone," Christina said. "And I just don't want them to go through what I had to go through because it hurts it doesn't go away."
Police arrested Rodriguez and he was booked into jail on suspicion of kidnapping and attempted rape, though officials from the King County sheriff's office said those will likely be changed to taking indecent liberties.
TO ALL OF YOU ACCUSING THIS YOUNG GIRL OF NOT FIGHTING BACK. U CAN NOTÂ JUDGEÂ HER UNTIL THIS HAS HAPPEN TO YOU. SHAME ON YOU, IT DOESN'TÂ MATTER WHAT SHE DID IF SHE SAID "NO" IT IS STILL RAPE IN THIS STATE. MATTER OF FACTÂ DOESN'TÂ MATTER WHAT STATE YOU ARE IN IF A YOU SAY "NO" IT STILL RAPE. THISÂ MEMORY WILL NEVER LEAVE HER. THIS WILL CHANGE HER LIFE FOREVER. I THINK ALL OF YOU PLACING BLAME ON HERÂ YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT WHAT IF THIS HAD HAPPEN TO ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN.
wow the victim shaming going on in here is crazy...saying she should be more careful...wow...this is exactly why its so hard to get victims of these kinds of crimes to come forward ..people like you all judging and blaming them...you should be ashamed of yourselves...
I am older and have been around a while dealing with men's advances, so perhaps I'm different. But I can tell you that if a store employee started touching my stomach, I would confront him right away. I know she's young and maybe panicked, or maybe was attracted or flattered at first, but this is how things get carried away. And there is no way on this green earth that I would have ended up in a "dark" (nice visual for the news) back bathroom with him unless he was armed and/or had overpowered me. Which would be pretty obvious to the other customers.Â
And when he started shooing others out of the store first? No. Way. I would have been long gone while the getting was good.Â
Unless of course I was young and single, and I WANTED to be in a dark back bathroom with him. The problem I see, from just her side of the story and from a NEWS article, would enter in if he did not stop his advances when she said "no". Then there's an issue.
@ThunderInteresting story. Â The mother keeps saying "my child.." but she looks to be around 19. Â Good lesson for young women, don't stand there if someone is making you feel uncomfortable. Leave. Come back with someone else. And if someone is touching your stomach, leave. Â I'm just having a hard time trying to figure out how all of this happened, and how she was able to run away through a locked door when she eventually fought back. Â I think you may have a good theory, she may have been flattered at first, then realized what a creeper that guy was. A phone store probably had a working phone, at any time she should have grabbed one and called 911.Â
If this was like most cell phone stores it should be on tape because they have security cameras everywhere.Â
@swan that would be correct if this guys parents didn't own the store.
I don't want to come off mean or like I don't care. This thing may have happened just as described. But I feel like there is a 1000's holes to this story. And That does not mean the Vitim is right or wrong. I feel like the media is leaving a lot of facts out to get ratings.
Has she got a lawyer yet? This ought to be worth $Millions.  How did he get her into that dark back bathroom ? Hope she'll be able to recover her innocence and trust men again one day. My Aunt lived in White Center and this sort of crime never used to happen there, thank god she was able to fight him off. Dang !
@joefuss really? worth millions?  typical twisted american thinking.Â
How old is she? What time was this? What cell phone outlet?
He's 25 how old is Christina??
@reelin21 she is not an adult. And why would it matter how hold she is? He is a predator!
At first I was skeptical, I can't say why but I was. After hearing the young girls statements, I feel that she is a very brave young lady who has had a very traumatizing experience with a possible predator. I only hope that an investigation can reveal the truth about this guy as I suspect there might be more victims. As she said "this will not go away" I can tell you that something like this doesn't go away even after 60 years, which has been my experience.
Why was their only one employee on duty? any store opening or closing should have TWO people to avoid bad outcomes like this.
@32jim2 Lets see, it's cheaper and more profitable to have one employee instead of two.
@32jim2Â
You obviously are not a small business owner. Two employees for a small shop cost money.
What happened to the common sense life lesson of "get out of a situation that starts bad"? Reading the story, I am not 100% sure she didn't give the creep a hopeful indication that she would agree to something more. He is a monster and deserves punishment, but girls, please stop being a participant in these incidents. In so many instances the situation is elevated to criminal behavior because the TWO ACTORS willingly got it there. She seems old enough to know better. I have daughters and this conversation happens a lot in our house, and I pray that they listen because if they don't this story may be repeated with my own children.
@Socialjusticeforall Your victim blaming is disgusting.
@Jolly @Socialjusticeforall it's not victim blaming. It's called real life. and life experience. The story as it was told, is lacking in believability. I'm sorry. Not blaming her, but you have a story of a girl who waits in a store while someone is creeping on her, shooing other customers out, locks the door, takes her in a bathroom, then she freaks out and runs out through the locked door?  I just think that there is some skepticism on how it went down, because it doesn't make sense as it's being told.  The fact that she is apparently a young girl, makes all of that moot, of course.  But you can't blame people for thinking the story is a bit odd. Â
Sounds like this clown was trying to take "Sexting" to a whole new level. They should find something more than "Indecent Liberties"Â to charge this idiot with. At 25 he must have been brain dead for some time.
I'd like to know how he got her from the front of the store to the "dark back bathroom"? Did she go willingly? Or did he drag her kicking and screaming? Did she initially think it might be fun, and then changed her mind? I'm not blaming her, I just think it's very odd how she ended up in the bathroom of a phone store with some creepy guy. She's obviously a "strong" girl for coming forward, so why did she let it do so far? If he forced her, then I take it all back, and I'm sorry for questioning her story, but...there was no mention of force.Â
@Asa "Police arrested Rodriguez and he was booked into jail on suspicion of kidnapping and attempted rape, though officials from the King County sheriff's office said those will likely be changed to taking indecent liberties."  The fact that they initially charged him with kidnapping and attempted rape, but it's now going to be "indecent liberties" is probably an good indicator that it wasn't of the kicking and screaming variety. Â
@Asa Spoken like someone who is truly ignorant of how sexual predators operate to manipulate their victims.
@Jolly Give me a break. she was in a crowded store for just a few minutes, the "predator" didn't have the time to manipulate anyone. Sure, he could have lied and said they needed to go "in the back" to fix her phone, but as soon as he started telling other customers to leave, she should have left as well, and not followed him into the bathroom. She wasn't manipulated, she changed her mind, or in her defense, he tried to go further than she wanted. But the "predator manipulation" you're referring to is generally a long involved process, sometimes taking years, not just a few minutes in a cell phone store. I'm not ignorant about sexual predators, but apparently you're ignorant in the ways of teenage girls.Â
@Asa @Jolly Wow, you are pathetically misguided. Manipulation does not have to be a long and involved process AT ALL, it can happen incredibly quickly. Women are socialized to smooth things over and not make a fuss, and most people in general aren't going to jump to the conclusion that a store clerk is going to rape them. You really think that the first thing a young lady is going to do when a clerk at a store goes to help other people and send them on their way is think "HE IS GOING TO RAPE ME, I'D BETTER GET OUT OF HERE." It isn't like he announced on the loudspeaker, "PLEASE LEAVE SO I CAN GROPE THIS CUSTOMER AGAINST HER WILL." And if she started feeling suspicious, the trained response to that is to assume the best and not try to offend anyone by insinuating they would try to take advantage of you, and to not come off as a b*tch, or crazy, or vain by showing that you think he is trying to single you out. When you are in a situation like this, the thing you want MOST is for your gut feeling about it to not be true, and it is incredibly easy to pretend that that is the case until it is too late. If you can't understand that, well, have fun perpetuating rape culture I guess. Hopefully your disgusting accusations, and the equally pathetic comments of all of the other victim-blamers on these boards don't keep TOO many other victims of sex crimes from coming forward, and don't empower TOO many more rapists to do things like this, knowing how easy it is to get away with it when their victims are afraid to come forward and face you slinging garbage at them.
@Asa>>>>>Then, according to police, 25 year old Edgar Rodriguez began touching Christina's stomach and back. They say he then locked the front door, put her in the dark back bathroom and touched her body underneath her clothes. He also tried to kiss her, according to police.<<<<<
Did she do anything while he touching her?
Did she do anything while he locked the door?
Did she do anything while he led her to the "dark back bathroom"?
I smell a fish.ÂMy guess, she was prob confused by the situation. Maybe didnt realize what was really going down. Prob knew she was uncomfortable and felt like something was wrong. Sounds like she froze a little bit. Everybody handles stress/fear differently.
Doesnt sound like she was in that backroom too long before she bolted.
@Asa I watched the video and I smell something fishy too.
That sucks.....dirty phone store man needs a whoopin'. Good for them to be brave enough to warn others of this Creepy McCreepster
seems legit
Why is the victims face plastered at the top of this story?!
@NWNative I have read the story and I still don't get how the extreme close up of the face is necessary to the story?
@nomad @NWNative helps with the eventual lawsuit.
@NWNative Obviously the idea of actually reading is lost on you, so I'll make it easier by pasting it to save you the trouble... "They wanted to share what they said happened inside that store to help others speak out. Christina wants others to fight back." Makes sense?
@NWNative Better yet why is this even news?
@NWNative Read the article.