With the latest reporting from the Mercer Island Reporter and InvestigateWest (article), it has been confirmed that a second Mercer Island teacher predator has come to light. I hesitated to issue a statement, but after observing school leaders, including former PTA presidents, publicly claim they were unaware of this matter, despite undisputed court documents showing they were informed of Twombley as early as 2024, I believe it is necessary to clarify the record.
Even though this was commonly known among school leadership (district, school board, and PTA), I was primarily responsible (press briefing) for bringing the first predator, Chris Twombley, to light through the Mercer Island Reporter. I am disgusted, not “disgruntled,” as PTA leaders labeled me on social media this week-Oct. 20, 2025—that since the Twombley article was published on August 11, 2025, they have spent their time covering up, stalking and threatening the messenger, and lying about there being only one predator and one victim. Public police (MIPD Case - 2023-00012049) reports prove that Superintendent Fred Rundle knew about and was the person who reported a second Twombley victim to police in 2023. Instead of taking action to protect students, school leaders focused on hiding the truth. The only “investigation” currently underway is into how the Twombley information got out, not how to prevent it from happening again. Once again, it was concerned citizens, not school leaders, who did the hard work to protect our children from predators using our schools as their own Tinder.
I originally ran for school board because our school district is in trouble. With declining enrollment, falling test scores, and deteriorating finances that could render the district insolvent if the 2026 levy fails. I believed my background in teaching, volunteering, and business could help turn things around. But then I learned that school leadership (district, board, and PTA) knew multiple teacher predators remained in our schools and chose to cover for them. I worked through official school channels for answers and was told they knew nothing about it. Based on public police reports, I knew this was untrue and that they used lawyers to stop a King County multi-victim community notification (attendees & emails) from going out to the parents of Mercer Island in April of 2024. As a result and with no other recourse, I came forward through the Mercer Island Reporter. I did so because our kids weren’t safe and because school leaders chose to protect their reputation instead of protecting our children. I knew I would probably be attacked publicly (people exposed for wrongdoing often react harshly), and the personal attacks on me that followed were absolutely horrific. But I’ve always believed that leaders lead by example, often alone, and that was acceptable for me. Then they came for my family - my wife and elementary-aged child (statement).
Since the August 11, 2025 article, my family has endured more than most people will ever know. We’ve been harassed online, targeted publicly, and smeared through lies by PTA leadership and their endorsers. Because of ongoing threats, harassment, and cyberstalking, I was forced to seek a restraining order (King County TRO - 25-2-23583-1). The initial judge, after reviewing the case from a threat assessment standpoint, found the danger to my family imminent and the actions egregious and ordered a temporary protective order that directed those responsible to stay 1,000 feet away from my family, our home, our workplace, our cars, and Islander Middle School.
The order, which included undisputed documentary evidence of stalking, harassment, defamation, threats, and statements that PTA leadership (Court Exhibits) was aware of Twombley as early as 2024, was later dismissed solely on First Amendment grounds, as I remain a candidate on the ballot despite having publicly withdrawn from the race. This effectively allows them to continue stalking, threatening, lying about, and harassing my family. The most recent threat arrived by email on Monday, October 20, 2025, from a current PTA president of a Mercer Island elementary school (email & referenced material), and I have been defamed on Nextdoor multiple times just this week. Following the judge’s recommendation, civil litigation is now underway. I will not allow bullies to target my family, and I will use every legal means available to hold those responsible accountable.
I also came forward as a survivor. Someone who endured childhood rape from ages 5 to 9. Unlike those who protected predators, I spoke up to support survivors like myself, to let them know that those who commit these acts will not go unpunished, that they are not alone, and that help is possible. As I have experienced, unaddressed childhood trauma is devastating, and Mercer Island children and survivors of these teacher predators were denied the protection and support they deserved. Instead, school leadership covered up the truth, harassed those who sought accountability, and sent a message that anyone else who tried to expose wrongdoing would face the same treatment. And they are still doing it - just look at the horrific comments they post online, including making an entire post claiming I was attempting to prey on the survivors of Twombley by letting the story come out in the press. It’s disgusting, and I have no doubt they will continue with their attacks.
As a father, I cannot imagine standing by while children are hurt. Yet our school leaders, many of them parents themselves and running for various positions in this election, did exactly that. They failed the most basic value they claim to uphold:
“Ensuring our school communities are safe and supportive.” (MISD Values)
Is this the community we want for Mercer Island?
At great personal cost, I have done everything possible to help protect the children attending Mercer Island schools from these predators. Now it’s up to you, the community. Use your voice. Use your vote. Hold accountable those that knew for years that predators used Mercer Island schools as their Tinder. What they have done to me, they have done to others. End this cycle.
The information listed above, including documents, statements, police reports, and emails, represents only a small portion of what has transpired and documentation. However, the full materials are already publicly available through multiple sources, including King County Superior Court, Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission, and social platforms such as Nextdoor, Facebook, Reddit, and Substack. I encourage anyone seeking the information to access it directly, as several Mercer Island residents have already done and discussed or shared publicly on social media.