Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Officer Linwood Barnhill Investigated for Teen Prostitution Ring & Child Porn

A Washington D.C. police officer is under investigation for allegedly running a prostitution ring out of his apartment.

Officer Linwood Barnhill, 47, has not been arrested but is on paid administrative leave after police found a missing 16-year-old girl in his home Tuesday who told police Barnhill had arranged for her to have sex for money.

The girl told police that Barnhill had arranged for her to engage in sex acts with a man for $80 and that he told her that her working name would be ‘Juicy.’

Incredibly, a Photobucket account belonging to Linwood Barnhill discovered in an online search contains numerous pictures of scantily clad young women, a photograph that clearly shows a large amount of marijuana, a police officer in uniform handling piles of cash and several blank spaces that Photobucket has removed as inappropriate content.

Barnhill brazenly used his full name for the account, which has photographic evidence of potentially illegal behavior.

The girl told police that Barnhill took nude pictures of her and that six other women had also prostituted themselves for Barnhill.

A search warrant affidavit filed in federal court alleges sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography.

The Washington Times reports that in the apartment, located at 3066 Stanton Road Southeast near St. Elizabeth’s Hospital police also found marijuana along with a large number of condoms and nine pairs of women’s high heeled shoes.

Linwood Barnhill is a 24-year veteran of the city’s 7th District Police Department.

The Washington Post reports that investigating officers stayed at the Southeastern Washington DC apartment Tuesday night and most of Wednesday, and after obtaining the search warrant confiscated various items including women’s lingerie, computers and cell phones.

Court documents state that the girl told officers she had been to the apartment at least twice. Barnhill took nude pictures of her in sparkly high heels and showed them to a potential customer, who was scheduled to meet with the girl and pay $80 for sex.

Barnhill would keep $20, she said, and also pay for her to have her hair done and new clothes and shoes.

It’s not clear whether the girl had actually met with the customer.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L Lanier said in a statement that the department ‘is very concerned about the recent allegations of egregious conduct.

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