Sobering Thought: Did Police Bounce the Wrong Guy?

On the night of Aug. 26, a minor walked up to a bouncer at Tia Lou's and showed him a borrowed, expired Washington State driver's license. The bouncer let her in, and she ordered a "duck fart" shot at the bar. Two weeks later, David Romano was arrested for allowing this minor access to the club as part of Operation Sobering Thought, the much-publicized mayoral nightclub sting with the militaristic moniker.

Seattle police officer Tomeka Williams wrote a statement regarding the incident that was used to get an arrest warrant for Romano, 31, of Kent. In the statement, Williams describes the bouncer who allowed the minor to gain entrance as a blond, about 6-foot-2, with a safety pin hooked into his left eyebrow.

"They're off by about six inches," says Romano, who stands 5-foot-8 and has brown hair and no eyebrow piercing. He suspects that he was attached to the warrant when, after the sting, a couple of officers came up to him with a photo of a man they said they were looking for. Romano says he didn't recognize the man, but asked the officers if the man in the photo was a predator of some kind. One of the officers nodded in the affirmative, Romano says, before asking if he could get Romano's name, address, and license number in case they needed anything further.

"I said, 'Sure, whatever I can do to help,'" he recalls.

Romano only bounces a couple of days a month for extra cash, toiling by day as a product receiver at Darigold. On the night of Sept. 8, he was working at Tia Lou's when he was arrested outside the club.

He says that at his most recent hearing, the prosecutor walked over to get a sense of his height and check for piercings. The only hole Romano has ever put in his head was an ear piercing when he was "like 15." But despite the visual inconsistencies, Romano was offered two options: Take a plea deal or go to trial. He chose the latter. His trial is set for Feb. 26.

Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr says he can't comment on the specifics of Romano's case, and that factual issues, including the identity of the defendant, will be "resolved at trial." "As I am sure you can imagine, we do not generally dismiss cases just because the defendant says that we have the wrong person," Carr says. "We must deal with evidence and proof. That's the way the system works."

Seattle police spokesperson Renee Witt says the department isn't commenting on any Operation Sobering Thought arrests until they have all been resolved in court.