Police Officer Arrested on Child Porn Charges Dies After Being Pulled From Potomac

A DC cop who was arrested last week after he allegedly took nude photographs of a 15-year-old girl was pronounced dead Tuesday night after police and firefighter teams pulled his body out of the frigid Potomac River, the Metropolitan Police Department said. The officer, Marc Washington, was pronounced dead shortly after being pulled from the water off Hains Point about 9:30 PM.

Washington, 32, was arrested December 2 after visiting the Southeast DC residence of the girl, who had been reported as having run away from home. According to court documents, Washington allegedly asked to speak to the girl privately, and during the conversation asked her to disrobe so he could take several photos of her. The girl and her mother reported the encounter to police, and Washington was arrested a short time later.

Charging documents allege that Washington deleted the photographs before he was arrested, though investigators were able to retreive them from his camera, along with photo sets of other girls.

Washington, a seven-year MPD veteran who lived in Waldorf, Maryland, was released from custody Monday pending trial after his lawyer moved to have him placed in a high-supervision program. According to the conditions of Washington’s release, he was ordered to remain at home 24 hours a day and to wear a GPS tracking device.

After Washington was arrested last week, MPD Chief Cathy Lanier said his alleged behavior was especially “egregious” because it occurred while he was on duty.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.