Former Arlington officer pleads guilty to child pornography charges

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 24, 2026

The city of Arlington’s former “Officer of the Year” who was caught with child pornography in his home will likely spend just under four years in prison.

On Thursday, Dustin Bartlett pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court to three counts of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the first degree, one count of domestic violence assault in the fourth degree and one count of violation of a domestic violence protection order.

Under the plea bargain, Chief Criminal Prosecutor Laura Twitchell will recommend a sentence of 46 months in prison at a hearing set for Aug. 21. She said she agreed to recommend a low-end sentence because Bartlett accepted responsibility and pleaded guilty early in the case.

Before the sentencing hearing, the Department of Corrections will have to conduct a pre-sentence investigation because the charges include sex crimes. Bartlett will also have to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

Deputies with the Island County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bartlett in May after hard drives containing child pornography were found inside a closet at his Camano Island home.

According to detective’s report, deputies were initially dispatched to a report of domestic violence at the home. When they arrived, Bartlett’s girlfriend said she caught him looking at a sexually explicit image of a young girl on his computer.

The woman said she saw other folders on the computer with names such as “14-year-old,” but he pushed her away. She called police while he allegedly deleted files from his computer. When deputies arrived, Bartlett denied assaulting his girlfriend and denied possessing child pornography.

Four days later, the woman contacted deputies again and asked them to return to the home. She said she searched a walk-in closet and found a small knob that appeared to be out of place on a rack where Bartlett hung his bulletproof vest. She pulled the knob and found the two hard drives, which contained sexually explicit images of children.

After his arrest, Judge Carolyn Cliff set Bartlett’s bail at $100,000 and ordered him not to go to his house or contact his girlfriend. Bartlett, however, posted the bail and went to the house with his girlfriend despite the order. Deputies found him hiding in a closet.

Cliff revoked Bartlett’s bail following the violation of the court order. The Arlington Police Department later terminated his employment.