By Peter Hermann, E-mail
the writer
A District police officer
who was found dead in the Washington Channel shortly after he was arrested in a
child sex case in December committed suicide by drowning, the D.C. medical
examiner’s office has ruled.
Marc J. Washington, 32, who
lived in Southern Maryland, had been charged with a single count of production
of child pornography. Authorities alleged he took semi-nude pictures of a
15-year-old girl who had run away from her Southeast Washington home and later
returned. The 7-year veteran was on duty at the time.
Washington death on Dec. 10
came one day after he was released from jail pending trial and ordered to
remain on home detention and wear an electronic home monitoring bracelet. He
had been arrested hours after the Dec. 2 incident.
He was one of two officers
from the same 7th District station charged in sex related crimes in a matter of
days. Officer Linwood Barnhill Jr., 47, is awaiting trial on two counts of
pandering a minor for the purpose of prostitution. Police said he allegedly ran
a prostitution ring from his apartment that involved at least one underage
girl. Authorities say that Barnhill’s and Washington’s cases are not related.
Police said they pulled
Washington from the Washington Channel on Dec. 10 about 9:30 p.m., after
receiving a 911 call. The officer died at an area hospital. Authorities later
found an empty car with clothing scattered nearby at Hains Point, in the first
block of Ohio Drive SW.
Police had arrested
Washington hours after they accused him of showing up at the apartment of the
just returned girl. Court documents allege that he went into her bedroom, told
her to undress and took partially nude pictures of her. The mother later called
police, who arrested him in the early morning hours of Dec. 3.
At a community meeting in
Southeast Washington in January, D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier told
residents that Washington likely killed himself. The medical examiner’s office
had not issued its final ruling at that time.
