Former Arlington officer pleads guilty after multiple arrests

Published 10:28 am Thursday, August 13, 2026

EVERETT — A former Arlington police officer has pleaded guilty to amended charges following multiple arrests earlier this year.

Dustin Barlett, 41, of Camano Island, faces more than 30 years in prison after admitting to three felony counts of first-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, as well as two charges related to allegations of domestic violence, during a hearing in Island County Superior Court on July 23, according to court records.

He’s likely to be sentenced to less than half that many years based on the standard sentencing ranges for each charge listed in court documents.

Bartlett was arrested on May 18 after his girlfriend reportedly found sex abuse material on the man’s computer, Island County Prosecutor’s Office said at the time. He then allegedly assaulted the woman to prevent her from accessing the images.

Prosecutors initially charged Bartlett with more than 10 counts related to possessing the child sex abuse material, along with fourth-degree domestic violence assault, according to previous reporting from The Daily Herald.

Less than two weeks later, Bartlett was arrested again on May 29 after he bailed out of jail and violated the terms of a domestic violence no-contact order that barred him from speaking to a witness in the case, the sheriff’s office said.

The Arlington Police Department placed Barlett on leave shortly after the initial arrest. He was fired on June 11 following an internal investigation into “violations of department policy,” a city spokesperson said at the time.

Barlett was an officer with the department for about eight years, according to the city.

Each of Bartlett’s three felony convictions carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, but the standard range for Bartlett’s sentence is between just under four and just over six years, according to court documents. He also faces a maximum of 364 days in jail for each of the two domestic violence charges.

In his plea, Bartlett opted not to make a written statement explaining his guilt, instead letting police reports and probable cause statements justify the decision, court records said.

Bartlett will have to register as a sex offender and is also likely to serve community custody following any sentence, according to court documents.

He’s expected to be sentenced in Island County Superior Court on Aug. 21, online court records said.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com