Transient charged with kidnapping 12-year-old boy in Bellevue on Saturday

A 19-year-old transient has been charged with kidnapping and child molestation for allegedly exposing himself to a 12-year-old boy after forcing the child into a restroom stall at a Bellevue mall and threatening him with a knife, according to King County prosecutors.

David Harry Alaumbaugh was charged Wednesday in King County Superior Court with first-degree kidnapping with intent to commit second-degree child molestation.

The 12-year-old and his mother were at the Crossroads Mall in Bellevue about 3:30 p.m. Saturday when the boy went into the men's restroom. The boy left a stall at the same time Alaumbaugh left the adjacent stall, according to prosecutors. Alaumbaugh forced the boy back into his stall, followed him inside and told him to sit down because he had something to show him.

When the boy refused to sit down, Alaumbaugh threatened him with a knife and told him he'd hurt him if he didn't sit down, charging documents say.

The boy heard someone enter the men's room and shouted, "I didn't do anything to you!" and Alaumbaugh fled, court documents say.

The boy ran outside and contacted mall security, according to charging papers. He gave security a detailed description of his assailant and Bellevue police arrested Alaumbaugh nearby. The boy then identified Alaumbaugh as the attacker.

"It was great he paid attention to those details," such as clothing and jewelry the man wore, "under a very stressful situation," said Officer Carla Iafrate, Bellevue police spokeswoman.

Alaumbaugh, who has three outstanding warrants for reckless burning and one for possession of stolen property, is being held on $250,000 bail.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com