Hearing Postponed in D.C. Officer Prostitution Case

A preliminary hearing has been postponed for a District of Columbia police officer charged with running a prostitution ring involving teenage girls.

Officer Linwood Barnhill Jr. was scheduled to appear Friday in D.C. Superior Court, but the hearing was postponed until Wednesday. He was ordered detained at his first appearance.

Barnhill, 47, was charged Wednesday with two counts of pandering of a minor. In the District, pandering is defined as inducing or compelling an individual to engage in prostitution.

Eight days before his arrest, Barnhill was found inside his Southeast D.C. apartment with a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing, as well as an 18-year-old woman.

The 16-year-old told authorities that Barnhill had approached her at a shopping mall about two weeks earlier and asked if she wanted to be a model. She visited his apartment several times after that, and at one point, Barnhill gave her a cellphone and told the girl he had made a "date" for her with another man to engage in sex acts, according to charging documents.

He told her that the man would pay her $80 and the girl should give Barnhill $20 of it, the documents say.

The girl also told authorities that Barnhill took naked photos of her wearing sparkly high-heeled shoes he had given her, and told her he'd take her shopping at Rainbow to purchase clothes for the "date."

The girl also told authorities that she met other women at the apartment who said they had worked as prostitutes for him, according to a search warrant affidavit.

A court hearing Wednesday afternoon revealed that police have found a second alleged victim, a 15-year-old girl. That girl told authorities she met Barnhill at a bus stop in September and initially told him she was 18, before admitting that she was 15 after Barnhill asked her to "escort" for him.

"The defendant informed [the girl] that he plans bachelor parties and has 'tons' of girls. [The girl] stated the defendant told her that her young age was not a problem because he had other minors who worked for him," the charging documents state.

Barnhill took nude and clothed photos of the girl and then arranged for her to have sex with a man in his 40s or 50s in Barnhill's bedroom, the documents say. Barnhill allegedly provided condoms for the encounter.

The 15-year-old girl performed the sex acts and then told Barnhill she was not interested in continuing to work for him, according to authorities.

A mirror in Barnhill's apartment displayed the names of other women whom the 16-year-old girl said were prostitutes, police said. Authorities say they know of at least six other females allegedly pimped by Barnhill. The ages of these girls or women are unknown at this point, News4 Mark Segraves reported.

If convicted, Barnhill could face up to 20 years in prison.

Another police officer, Marc Washington, was arrested last week on child pornography charges. His body was pulled Tuesday night from the Washington Channel. Police haven't released any further details into his death.

A third officer is also under investigation for possibly tipping Washington off about his forthcoming arrest earlier this week, sources said.

All three officers work in MPD's Seventh District, law enforcement sources said.