Repeat sex offender arrested after alleged incident in bathroom of Spokane Valley clothing store

A repeat sex offender was arrested last week after a shopper at T.J. Maxx in Spokane Valley said he stuck his head under her restroom stall, according to court records.

The arrest is the latest in a slew of similar instances that began shortly after the man’s release from prison in 2020.

Rashad Clarke, 30, is classified as a Level 3 sex offender, the highest level in Washington state, with multiple prior convictions dating back to 2010 in Montana, California and Nevada.

In the latest incident, a woman reported she was in the restroom at the T.J. Maxx at 14010 E. Indiana Ave. on April 22 when she heard lots of movement coming from the stall next to her, according to court records.

The woman looked around the stall to see a man looking at her with his head under the stall divider. Nearby, the woman saw a magazine on the floor with a nearly nude woman on the cover, according to court records.

The woman began screaming and ran out of the restroom, according to court records.

She described the man as in his 30s wearing a long black coat, camouflage pants and white shoes. It’s unclear when the incident was reported to police.

The next day, employees reported the man had returned to the store, but by the time police arrived, he had left. Witnesses said he was walking to other stores nearby, and a Spokane Valley deputy approached the man matching the description, later determined to be Clarke, according to court records.

Clarke turned around to face the deputy and dropped a copy of Hustler magazine from his jacket, according to court records. He had two pairs of pants on that were both unbuckled and unzipped, according to court records.

Clarke told the deputy his pants were undone because he was trying to tie a string around them so they wouldn’t fall down.

When questioned, Clarke told the deputy he had been in the women’s restroom at T.J. Maxx but had just been trying to charge his phone and asked the woman next to him for toilet paper, according to court records.

The deputy looked up Clarke’s criminal history and noted he had prior sex offenses on his record. Clarke was arrested and charged with voyeurism on Friday.

Several similar instances of voyeurism involving Clarke have been reported over the past year, according to court records. Clarke was released from Monroe Correctional Complex in September after serving time for felony second-degree burglary with sexual motivation, and he was required to register as a sex offender.

He was convicted of the charge for hiding in a women’s restroom at a restaurant in Chelan County, then peeking over the stall and telling an 18-year-old to come with him.

Prior to that incident, Clarke was arrested in Kent, Washington, in 2013 for openly masturbating in front of two women in a parking lot, according to court records.

After his release, Clarke did not register as a sex offender anywhere in Washington state, according to court records.

In November, Clarke was contacted by the Spokane Police Department after he was caught peeking at women underneath the restroom stalls in P.F. Chang’s in downtown Spokane.

He was arrested on a Department of Corrections warrant, and on suspicion of trespassing at River Park Square after the incident but charged with only a misdemeanor.

Then on Dec. 4, River Park Square security found Clarke hiding in the women’s restroom. The next day, he was contacted by Spokane officers after hiding in the laundry room of the Donna Hanson Haven transitional living facility, records say.

Later that same day, Clarke was again contacted by the police department for trespassing in an apartment complex hallway, according to court records.

On Dec. 7, Clarke was arrested by Spokane Valley deputies for disorderly conduct after trying to peek under women’s bathroom stalls at the Spokane Valley Walmart, according to court records.

The next day, multiple customers at the Spokane Valley Lowe’s, at 5204 E. Sprague Ave., complained about Clarke snooping around the women’s restroom, according to court documents.

Deputies found a plastic baggie containing a black tar substance on Clarke that tested positive for heroin, according to court records.

Clarke was charged with criminal trespass and possession of a controlled substance related to the incident. He pleaded guilty to those charges on Dec. 21, according to court records.

He was sentenced to 45 days in jail with credit for time served.

On Jan. 11, Clarke was arrested again after he allegedly hid in the Sushi.com bathroom at 430 W. Main Ave. until after closing and set off the burglar alarm.

Clarke was arrested on a felony Department of Corrections warrant after the incident.

Each time Clarke was booked into jail in December and January, he told the booking agent he was transient and didn’t have a home address, according to court records.

The extensive contact with law enforcement helped deputies develop probable cause to arrest Clarke for failure to register as a sex offender, which is a class C felony. He was arrested Feb. 3.

After being evaluated for competency by the Department of Social and Health Services, Clarke entered an Alford plea of guilty, meaning he did not admit guilt but acknowledges the court likely has enough evidence to get a conviction on the charge of failure to register as a sex offender on April 14.

Clarke was sentenced to 65 days in jail and was released shortly after with credit for time served.

Just nine days after pleading guilty, Clarke was arrested again in connection with the incident at T.J. Maxx.

Clarke’s arraignment is set for May 4. He remains in Spokane County Jail on a $10,000 bond.