A D.C. police officer is being investigated for allegedly “pimping” teenage girls, police sources have told News4.
Linwood Barnhill, 47, was found with a girl who had been reported missing inside his Southeast D.C. apartment Tuesday. Police executed a search warrant on Barnhill's home Wednesday, and seized several cell phones, marijuana and a laptop computer. Barnhill, who has been with Metropolitan Police for 24 years, is now on desk duty.
Neighbors told News4 they would often see young girls going in and out of his apartment.
The investigation may be connected to the Monday arrest of another D.C. officer on child porn charges.
In that case, officer Marc Washington, who has been with the department since 2006, went to the home of a 15-year-old girl who had previously been reported missing, ordered her to remove her clothing and took photos of her, all while he was on duty. The girl's mother notified police.
During a hearing Thursday, it was revealed Washington, 32, had hundreds of photographs on his digital camera dating back to 2011, many of which depicted women who were victims of domestic violence.
Court documents allege Washington, an Iraq war veteran, attempted to delete the pornographic images from his digital camera prior to the arrest.
A third officer is under investigation for possibly tipping Washington off about his forthcoming arrest earlier this week. He has also been placed on desk duty.
Washington did not enter a plea at a hearing Thursday. A U.S. magistrate judge ordered Washington released to home detention pending trial, but a 24-hour stay was granted so prosecutors could appeal the decision.
All three officers work in MPD's Seventh District.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier released the following statement Thursday afternoon, referencing officers Barnhill and Washington.
The Department is very concerned about the recent allegations of egregious conduct by two officers. We recognize that the actions of individual officers reflect on the entire Department. To uncover any potential malfeasance by officers, the Department regularly conducts audits and investigations of their conduct and behavior, both when on-duty and off-duty. The misguided actions of a few in no way reflect on the professionalism, dedication, and integrity of the Department. As we have seen several times this year with three officers shot in the line of duty, MPD officers put their lives on the line every single day to protect residents and visitors in the District of Columbia. That will not change.