WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Two members of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Detective Unit were fired following instances of workplace sexual harrassment.

An incident that took place in the unit’s group chat resulted in the termination of the unit’s direct supervisor, Seargent Courtney Polinder, and its overseer, Lieutenant Joseph Linderman.

In April of 2025, Detective Derek Jones, while on duty, created and distributed an AI-generated video depicting his own father and Detective Samantha Robinson engaged in an open-mouth kiss.

Seargent Polinder was the first person to respond to the video in the group chat and expressed amusement.

Several months later, when Detective Robinson reported her concerns, Seargent Polinder failed to report the matter to command staff or HR. When the complaint was brought to Lieutenant Linderman, he also failed to report the matter.

This particular incident of misconduct is predated by another instance of Polinder engaging in sexually explicit messaging in January of 2025.

Robinson filed a tort claim with the county council’s office in October of 2025, and followed up with her resignation and a lawsuit against the county in February of 2026.

Detective Jones is still employed by the Sheriff’s Office.