In 2018, when LIHI opened Lake Union Village, another Seattle tiny house facility, the organization said it would conduct background checks on prospective residents.
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A convicted child rapist wanted for allegedly violating the conditions of his lifetime supervision was arrested at a taxpayer-funded Seattle tiny house village that claims to provide 24/7 staffing, security and on-site case management, raising questions about how a fugitive with an outstanding warrant dating back nearly five years was able to reside at the facility.
The US Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force arrested 57-year-old Timothy Martin Wednesday at a tiny house village in Seattle's Interbay neighborhood. The agency told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI that Martin was wanted by the Washington Department of Corrections for violating the conditions of his lifetime supervision after being convicted of first-degree rape of a child for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl. DOC obtained an arrest warrant for Martin on Dec. 8, 2021. Martin was also wanted on a second, more recent warrant. The King County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant on June 23, 2026, after Martin allegedly failed to register as a sex offender.
Members of the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force eventually located Martin at the Interbay Tiny House Village and arrested him without incident.
The location of the arrest raises additional questions about screening and supervision within Seattle's publicly supported homeless shelter system.
Interbay Tiny House Village is located at 1601 15th Ave. W. on property belonging to the Port of Seattle. The facility is operated by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) as part of a partnership involving the nonprofit, the City of Seattle and the Port.
When Seattle announced an expansion of the village in 2021, city officials said Interbay would contain 76 tiny houses with capacity for as many as 90 people. Unlike an unmanaged homeless encampment, the city claimed the program provides 24/7 staffing, on-site case managers, behavioral-health services, security, a community kitchen, hygiene facilities and laundry.
Martin's presence at the facility also raises questions about LIHI's screening policies. In 2018, when LIHI opened Lake Union Village, another Seattle tiny house facility, the organization told FOX 13 that it would conduct background checks on prospective residents. According to the report, LIHI said the screening would specifically check for sex-offender status, active warrants and other criminal histories. It is unclear whether that policy currently applies to Interbay Tiny House Village. It is also unclear when Martin entered Interbay, whether he underwent a background check, whether LIHI knew he was a registered sex offender, or whether village staff was aware of either of his outstanding warrants.
Martin's DOC warrant had been active since December 2021.
His arrest comes just months after the same Interbay village became the subject of controversy over alleged fentanyl use inside the taxpayer-supported facility. In March, We Heart Seattle founder Andrea Suarez released video taken during a visit to Interbay in which a resident showed her an otherwise empty tiny house containing several chairs. The resident alleged that the structure was being used by residents to consume drugs, including fentanyl, and claimed a drug dealer also lived inside the village. Suarez described the structure as essentially a designated location for drug consumption and criticized the city's low-barrier approach to homelessness.
Marta Kidane, Community Engagement Manager for LIHI, confirmed the drug use in the tiny home and told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, “In regards to the multi-use room, it is available to people for a variety of uses.” The organization explained that the room is used to monitor individuals “experiencing the results of trauma, co-occurring behavioral health issues, including substance use disorder.”
Suarez later said that LIHI banned her from returning to the property following release of the video.
The allegations attracted additional attention when journalist Jonathan Choe questioned LIHI Executive Director Sharon Lee about drug use inside tiny house villages. Lee did not provide Choe with a direct yes-or-no answer about whether designated drug-consumption spaces existed on LIHI properties.
According to the Marshals Service, after Martin was taken into custody at Interbay, he complained of medical issues related to narcotics use. First aid was provided at the scene, and Martin was evaluated by medical personnel before being booked into the South Correctional Entity, or SCORE, Jail in Des Moines.
“Sexual predators who violate the conditions of their supervision will be held accountable,” Acting US Marshal Donrien Stephens said. “Our task force remains committed to locating these offenders and protecting our communities from those who pose a threat to public safety.”
The arrest leaves a series of unanswered questions for LIHI and the government agencies involved with the Interbay facility: When did Martin arrive? Who referred him there? Was he screened for outstanding warrants or sex-offender status? Did LIHI know he was subject to lifetime supervision? Did the Department of Corrections know where he was living?
There is also the question of whether LIHI still follows the type of screening procedure it publicly described in 2018. If the policy has changed, it is unclear when or why. The city has emphasized the level of support and supervision provided at Interbay. Its 2021 announcement specifically touted around-the-clock staffing, security, case management and behavioral-health services. Seattle has also required city-funded tiny house village operators to provide case management and security under approved management plans.
Yet a man wanted by DOC since 2021 and more recently wanted for allegedly failing to register as a sex offender was found by a federal fugitive task force at one of those facilities.
The US Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force arrested 57-year-old Timothy Martin Wednesday at a tiny house village in Seattle's Interbay neighborhood. The agency told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI that Martin was wanted by the Washington Department of Corrections for violating the conditions of his lifetime supervision after being convicted of first-degree rape of a child for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl. DOC obtained an arrest warrant for Martin on Dec. 8, 2021. Martin was also wanted on a second, more recent warrant. The King County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant on June 23, 2026, after Martin allegedly failed to register as a sex offender.
Members of the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force eventually located Martin at the Interbay Tiny House Village and arrested him without incident.
The location of the arrest raises additional questions about screening and supervision within Seattle's publicly supported homeless shelter system.
Interbay Tiny House Village is located at 1601 15th Ave. W. on property belonging to the Port of Seattle. The facility is operated by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) as part of a partnership involving the nonprofit, the City of Seattle and the Port.
When Seattle announced an expansion of the village in 2021, city officials said Interbay would contain 76 tiny houses with capacity for as many as 90 people. Unlike an unmanaged homeless encampment, the city claimed the program provides 24/7 staffing, on-site case managers, behavioral-health services, security, a community kitchen, hygiene facilities and laundry.
Martin's presence at the facility also raises questions about LIHI's screening policies. In 2018, when LIHI opened Lake Union Village, another Seattle tiny house facility, the organization told FOX 13 that it would conduct background checks on prospective residents. According to the report, LIHI said the screening would specifically check for sex-offender status, active warrants and other criminal histories. It is unclear whether that policy currently applies to Interbay Tiny House Village. It is also unclear when Martin entered Interbay, whether he underwent a background check, whether LIHI knew he was a registered sex offender, or whether village staff was aware of either of his outstanding warrants.
Martin's DOC warrant had been active since December 2021.
His arrest comes just months after the same Interbay village became the subject of controversy over alleged fentanyl use inside the taxpayer-supported facility. In March, We Heart Seattle founder Andrea Suarez released video taken during a visit to Interbay in which a resident showed her an otherwise empty tiny house containing several chairs. The resident alleged that the structure was being used by residents to consume drugs, including fentanyl, and claimed a drug dealer also lived inside the village. Suarez described the structure as essentially a designated location for drug consumption and criticized the city's low-barrier approach to homelessness.
Marta Kidane, Community Engagement Manager for LIHI, confirmed the drug use in the tiny home and told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, “In regards to the multi-use room, it is available to people for a variety of uses.” The organization explained that the room is used to monitor individuals “experiencing the results of trauma, co-occurring behavioral health issues, including substance use disorder.”
Suarez later said that LIHI banned her from returning to the property following release of the video.
The allegations attracted additional attention when journalist Jonathan Choe questioned LIHI Executive Director Sharon Lee about drug use inside tiny house villages. Lee did not provide Choe with a direct yes-or-no answer about whether designated drug-consumption spaces existed on LIHI properties.
According to the Marshals Service, after Martin was taken into custody at Interbay, he complained of medical issues related to narcotics use. First aid was provided at the scene, and Martin was evaluated by medical personnel before being booked into the South Correctional Entity, or SCORE, Jail in Des Moines.
“Sexual predators who violate the conditions of their supervision will be held accountable,” Acting US Marshal Donrien Stephens said. “Our task force remains committed to locating these offenders and protecting our communities from those who pose a threat to public safety.”
The arrest leaves a series of unanswered questions for LIHI and the government agencies involved with the Interbay facility: When did Martin arrive? Who referred him there? Was he screened for outstanding warrants or sex-offender status? Did LIHI know he was subject to lifetime supervision? Did the Department of Corrections know where he was living?
There is also the question of whether LIHI still follows the type of screening procedure it publicly described in 2018. If the policy has changed, it is unclear when or why. The city has emphasized the level of support and supervision provided at Interbay. Its 2021 announcement specifically touted around-the-clock staffing, security, case management and behavioral-health services. Seattle has also required city-funded tiny house village operators to provide case management and security under approved management plans.
Yet a man wanted by DOC since 2021 and more recently wanted for allegedly failing to register as a sex offender was found by a federal fugitive task force at one of those facilities.
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