x
Breaking News
More () »

Teen: Great Wolf Lodge water park ignored assault claim

A teenage girl says Great Wolf Lodge security did nothing after a man assaulted her and a friend in the resort pool. Now her family is taking legal action.

CHEHALIS, Wash. — A teenage girl said she and a friend were assaulted in the pool at Great Wolf Lodge in Chehalis last weekend. To make matters worse, she said resort security did next to nothing when she reported it.

Sage Mosqueda,14, said she’d been looking forward to her family’s weekend at the resort.

“It was pretty cool at first and then everything went downhill,” she said.

On Saturday, Sage was playing in the resort’s water park with a 12-year-old girl.

“This man came up the stairs and started tickling her where he shouldn't have,” Sage said. “I was like, ‘Is that your dad?’ And she said ‘No, I don't know who he is.' "

Shocked, Sage said the pair brushed it off. But then Sage said the man returned and sandwiched himself between the two girls.

“He comes back down and starts tickling and hugs her and then touched her butt,” she said.

The girls told a lifeguard but what Sage said happened next left them confused.

“They escorted us out instead of him,” she said. “They should have called the cops and they didn't.”

“I was irate,” said Sage’s mother, Carrie Mosqueda, who was at a concert when the girls were in the pool. “If I could have, I would have jumped on the guy right when she pointed him out.”

Carrie said that night, Sage’s father went to Great Wolf Lodge’s head of security and asked him to call police.

“He told him no,” Carrie said. “Flat out no, he's not doing it. He just said they took care of it.”

But the next day, Sage spotted the stranger in the resort’s arcade.

“I said, ‘Mom, Mom! That's him! That's him!' "

Carrie flagged a Great Wolf employee and called 911. The group chased after the man, who was with a little boy.

“He took off running down the stairs and was dragging his son across the parking lot,” Sage said.

In the parking lot, witnesses got the man's license plate number before he sped off. Chehalis Tribal Police responded.

“The officer said he didn’t understand why they hadn’t been immediately dispatched out to the scene when there was actual physical contact with minors,” Carrie said.

“[The Lodge] should tell people instead of hiding it,” Sage said.

Carrie said on Monday, a Great Wolf Lodge Executive called her but instead of offering an apology for lack of action, she said the woman praised Great Wolf's security. That didn’t sit well with Carrie.

“I told her I’m seeking an attorney for my daughter and my family because you guys did not protect us, you did not protect any of your patrons,” Carrie said. “We don't know how many kids [the stranger] groped.”

KGW reached out to Great Wolf Lodge, which offered this statement:

“The safety and well-being of our guests is always our top priority. Chehalis Tribal Enforcement was called to investigate an alleged incident between guests at our resort Saturday evening and we are assisting law enforcement as needed," the statement read.

On Wednesday, Great Wolf Lodge released the following updated statement:

"The safety of our guests is paramount, particularly matters that involve children. Our team responded when a child alleged inappropriate contact between an adult guest and a minor inside the water park. Our security team quickly reconnected the minor involved with her parent and reviewed the situation with both families. Chehalis Tribal Enforcement was called to the resort and we have been assisting fully with their investigation into this matter. Any further inquiries about this alleged incident should be referred to Chehalis Tribal Enforcement."

Before You Leave, Check This Out