King County Sheriff details ‘corruption,’ deputy’s arrest

King County Sheriff John Urquhart is “mad as hell.”

One of his deputies has been arrested and charged with promoting prostitution, theft, and violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

At a news conference Thursday, Sheriff Urquhart said the case against Darrion Holiwell, 49, came to light after his estranged wife contacted his ex-wife about acts of domestic violence. In questioning his estranged wife, investigators learned that Holiwell had set her up as an escort, even paying for ads on backpage.com.

Urquhart said investigators also learned Holiwell, a chief firing range officer in Ravensdale, took nearly 10 tons of brass from expended cartridges to sell to three gun shops. He opened an account, accessed by Holiwell and at least one other member on the SWAT team, to buy merchandise at the gun shops and to “basically trick out their weapons.” The “slush fund” grew to $45,000-$50,000 since it was opened in 2007.

Urquhart said the scheme was off the books and known to two sergeants.

“What I don’t know is how far up the chain it went,” he said.

Holiwell is also accused of stealing at least 67 cases of ammunition from the range, worth about $15,000.

Investigators learned that Holiwell was using and selling steroids to the public, and possibly within the Sheriff’s Office. They found steroids, human growth hormone, and Molly (a form of ecstasy) while serving a search warrant at Holiwell’s home.

“There were allegations that other members of the Sheriff’s Office were also using steroids,” but Urquhart said some of them might have prescriptions.

Urquhart made it clear the majority of the SWAT team, 20 members, is not implicated in these allegations.

“We still have to do more investigation to find out how deep this goes,” Urquhart said.

A Seattle police officer was also placed on administrative reassignment Thursday as part of the Holiwell investigation, according to a law enforcement source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Officer Kevin McDaniel is suspected of buying testosterone supplements from Holiwell on several occasions and as recently as April.

Text messages between Holiwell and McDaniel were detailed in court documents, but investigators did not identify McDaniel as a Seattle police officer.

The Seattle Police Department could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday evening.

The sheriff explained how he commenced an investigation and called in the FBI because “what we’re dealing with is police corruption.”

Urquhart said three deputies, including Holiwell, are on paid administrative leave. He doesn’t know yet if the other deputies will be charged. One deputy worked at the range with Holiwell and the other is being investigated for rendering criminal assistance and obstruction because they believe she tipped off Holiwell.

“Cops are great rumormongers. They love to gossip. They work 24 hours a day so there’s lots of opportunity to do that,” Urquhart said. “The gossip out there is, Ah, Urquhart is on a witch hunt. Well guess what? I am on a witch hunt. I take that as a compliment. Not to go after specific people, but on a witch hunt to root out this kind of behavior inside the Sheriff’s Office.”

“I’m mad as hell,” Urquhart later told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show.

Listen to his full interview: