Snohomish County sheriff’s sergeant busted for tipping off bikini barista stands
Jun 25, 2013, 2:33 PM | Updated: Jun 26, 2013, 5:22 pm
Everett police have arrested a Snohomish County sheriff’s sergeant for allegedly tipping off bikini baristas and coffee stand owners and managers about police investigations.
Police conducted a series of raids in Everett, Kent, Edmonds and Snohomish on Tuesday afternoon, said Deputy Chief Dan Templeman with the Everett Police Department.
Several other young women were arrested during the raids on suspicion of prostitution and lewd conduct.
“We served multiple search warrants at different locations in Snohomish and King County,” Templeman said. “Seven of these warrants are at different coffee stands and one is at a residence in Snohomish.”
According to Templeman, the raids were sparked by a previous investigation by Kent police of bikini barista stands for prostitution and lewd conduct.
“As a result of their investigation, they received information that indicated that a Snohomish County sheriff’s sergeant was involved in providing sensitive law enforcement information regarding ongoing police investigations to the baristas and coffee stand owner and manager,” said Templeman.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Sergeant Darrell O’Neill, a 30-year veteran of the department, was arrested for conspiracy to promote prostitution and official misconduct. Sgt. O’Neill was placed on paid administrative leave following his arrest and his law enforcement authority was suspended.
The sheriff’s sergeant is a 30-year veteran law officer. He’s also accused of promoting prostitution.
Among the stands raided Tuesday were Java Juggs and Twin Peaks. The owner of Java Juggs, Carmela Panico, was arrested in 2011 for promoting prostitution and lewd conduct and reportedly among those detained Tuesday.
KIRO TV reports the sergeant was having sex with the owner and manager of Java Juggs in exchange for tipping them off to investigations.
“Whether or not it’s occurring more often or it’s being reported to us more often, we certainly are receiving complaints from citizens in our community regarding what they’re observing taking place at these stands,” Templeman said.
