Western Washington University dean who was arrested on campus will not be charged
A Western Washington University dean who was arrested Monday evening following a vigilante sting operation has been released from the Whatcom County Jail and will not be charged.
WWU Police officers responded to a call for assistance at 4:51 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14 outside Haggard Hall, according to the WWU Police incident report.
The officers found two adult men. After interviewing the men, reviewing the situation and consulting with the Bellingham Police Department, officers arrested John Danneker, 48, at the location on suspicion of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, a gross misdemeanor. Danneker is dean of libraries at WWU.
The second man, whose identity has not been released, had placed the call for police assistance. He told officers he had been texting with Danneker since 4 p.m. via the Grindr dating app, according to the incident report. The man showed officers texts and explicit images Danneker allegedly shared with him earlier that day.
The man told officers he originally told Danneker that he was 18, but later said he was actually 16, and Danneker continued to pursue a sexual encounter. He agreed to meet Danneker on campus, then called police after meeting and confronting Danneker.
Danneker, 48, has been removed from his position as dean of libraries at WWU and is on administrative leave pending an investigation by the university in conjunction with law enforcement, according to a campus advisory that was distributed Tuesday.
He was booked into the Whatcom County jail on Monday night and released Tuesday.
Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey told The Bellingham Herald on Tuesday that after reviewing the case, Danneker would be released from jail.
“I think it’s pretty clear that we are unable to prosecute this case,” Richey said in a phone call.
Richey told The Herald that state law does not prohibit sexual conduct that would be legal. In this case, he said, the other person involved was posing as a 16-year-old but was actually older. The act of consent for sexual relations in Washington is 16.
“Danneker will remain on administrative leave until the university has conducted a review of the situation that led to his arrest,” WWU Director of Communications Jonathan Higgins said in a statement to The Herald late Tuesday afternoon.
Danneker started his role of dean of libraries in August 2023 following a stint at the University of Washington, where he served as the director of learning services for the UW libraries and the director of Odegaard Undergraduate Library, according to the WWU website. Before joining UW, he was employed at The George Washington University in a series of positions including director of the Eckles Memorial Library.
He earned a B.A. in music history at Bucknell University and a master’s degree in library and information science from The Catholic University of America. He also earned a masters degree in musicology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
This story was originally published October 15, 2024 at 9:56 AM.
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