Despite sordid reputation, Thompson Hill rest stop complaints are few

News last week that Duluth's Thompson Hill rest stop is sometimes used as a location for gay sex encounters came as a revelation to many local residents, but not to law enforcement personnel or the readers of Craigslist personal ads.

One Craigslist ad from Aug. 10 said in part: "Looking for a hot man that I met at Thompson Hill on Sunday. ... I'd like to meet again."

While officials have been taking steps to discourage such get-togethers, they also say reports of people witnessing indecent behavior at Thompson Hill are rare.

The problem was highlighted last week when news broke that the State Patrol had investigated a report of public urination in the Thompson Hill parking lot and stumbled upon the aftermath of an apparent liaison between state Rep. Kerry Gauthier and a 17-year-old male in a wooded area. No charges were filed in the incident.

Since Thompson Hill -- also a visitor information center -- is the third most visited rest area in the state, any tarnish in its reputation is a problem for the Minnesota Depart­ment of Transportation and Explore Minnesota, which runs the center owned by MnDOT.

The department of transportation has followed state justice department guidelines on dealing with illicit sexual activity in public places, said Kevin Gutknecht, director of communications for MnDOT.

The guidelines include installing stainless steel toilet stall partitions to cut down on graffiti, requests for increased law enforcement patrol and the removal of brush and vegetation to allow for better sightlines for law enforcement, he said.

If the problem persists, surveillance cameras are an option, he said.

"We do not believe this type of activity presents a safety issue to our customers," he said. "It is inappropriate behavior. It's really not fair to the people who come to use the rest area for the purpose it was intended."

Local law enforcement agrees the rest stop has a reputation in some circles, but Duluth Deputy Chief of Police Robin Roeser said he couldn't find any recent complaints or tickets for a situation there similar to Gauthier's.

"I would agree it does have that reputation," he said. "I am not sure why it does. It's somehow happening outside of public view. I'm guessing if this type of behavior was happening out in the open right out in the parking lot, we'd probably be having a lot more calls on it."

Reports filed involving Gauthier's July incident include thoughts from law enforcement that indicate the site's reputation: "It has been my experience that in the late evening hours walking that path, I have come across men having sex and watching others have sex," wrote Trooper Scott Parker. A report also referenced that the troopers knew what happened in the woods at Thompson Hill "after men meet on Craig's List."

City Attorney Gunnar Johnson said the only incidents he could find in recent years relating to Thompson Hill were two for public masturbation.

Duluth police patrol the area and respond to calls that come from Thompson Hill. The State Patrol has a station office at Thompson Hill and also responds to calls there, passing off criminal complaints to Duluth police since the patrol mainly deals with traffic issues.

Sexual activity at Thompson Hill isn't unique to that rest stop, said Lt. Eric Roeske, public information officer for Minnesota State Patrol.

"It appears to be common activity at rest stops throughout the nation," he said. "But it's not something we're notified of all that frequently."

As for the Gauthier incident, "we happened to be at the rest area," he said.

Because the office is there, troopers are able to walk the trails more often and ensure no illegal activity is happening, Roeske said, but it's difficult to judge how often it's happening unless it's spotted or reported.

John Cavanaugh was surprised to hear people use Thompson Hill for sexual encounters. He left as the travel information center supervisor in 1989 and said it wasn't an issue when he worked there. Back then, some rest areas in the state "were more notorious than others as casual meeting spots for sure," he said.

Julie Ramer, who works for Explore Minnesota, is in charge of the center now. Her employees work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and have never had issues, she said, noting law enforcement patrol 24 hours a day.

"In 2011, Thompson Hill received just shy of 351,000 visitors," she said. "We don't want to scare people away from coming to visit us."