Judge finds former Bellingham Police detective not guilty of misusing public funds
A former Bellingham Police detective charged with crimes related to the misuse of hundreds of dollars in public funds for a dry cleaning allotment has been found not guilty of all charges.
Skagit County prosecutors originally charged Adam (Bo) Stanton McGinty, 43, on March 8, 2022, with one count each of misappropriation or falsification of accounts by a public officer (a felony), official misconduct (a gross misdemeanor) and third-degree theft (a gross misdemeanor). McGinty pleaded not guilty to all charges at a hearing last December.
McGinty was accused of allegedly misusing public funds by using another officer’s dry cleaning stipend. The dry cleaning stipend is offered to employees as part of their collective bargaining agreement.
McGinty allegedly used another detective’s name to obtain $750.98 worth of additional dry cleaning services during a 17-month period in 2022 and 2023. The other detective was not using the dry cleaning services during this time, according to court records.
Bellingham police conducted an internal affairs investigation of McGinty and placed him on paid administrative leave. After the internal investigation was completed, McGinty was placed on a dishonest officers list and terminated.
Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Robert Olson found McGinty not guilty of theft on Nov.22 after a non-jury trial, the Cascadia Daily News reported. Both the felony charge and the official misconduct misdemeanor charge were dismissed.
McGinty waived his right to a jury trial on Nov. 12, court documents show.
McGinty had been with the Bellingham Police Department since March 1, 2015, and was part of the special victims unit. He was promoted to detective in January 2018 and previously served as Bellingham Public Schools’ resource officer. McGinty was also the former lead detective who spent more than a year investigating a female high school student’s sexual assault allegations and three Bellingham Public Schools administrators’ alleged failures to report the assaults.
