Ex-cop involved in fighting human trafficking arrested on child porn charges

Don Glunt (Photo: LinkedIn)



BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- A former Lynden, Wash., police officer who was involved in fighting human sex trafficking was arrested Friday on child porn charges.

The Washington State Patrol said he was allegedly trading cell phone images with a 16-year-old girl in Texas.

Donald Glunt, 57, a 34-year veteran with the Lynden Police Department who recently resigned, was taken into custody without incident, the Washington State Patrol said.

Glunt described himself on his LinkedIn page as being a training coordinator for the church-based group Hope4Justice, which is focused on combating human sex trafficking.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the investigation originated after officials with the Lynden Police Department discovered images on Glunt’s city-owned cell phone while conducting an internal administrative investigation. On Wednesday, Lynden Police Chief Jack Foster asked the State Patrol to conduct a criminal investigation into the matter.

Detective with the Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Exploited Children’s Task Force reviewed digital evidence and interviewed Glunt, which led to his arrest Friday.

"The investigation revealed the suspect was trading images with a 16-year-old girl in Texas," a State Patrol news release said. "Law enforcement authorities in Texas assisted detectives by interviewing the underage victim. Additional forensic review of various digital media devices seized as evidence is ongoing."

The release said Glunt was booked into the Skagit County Jail on charges of dealing and possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and viewing of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additional charges are possible pending the forensic analysis of the digital media devices.