A King County deputy who drunkenly assaulted bouncers is still on the job
Though criminal misconduct is typically a fireable offense, Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall only gave Det. Daniel McCreary an eight-day suspension
The King County Sheriff’s Office did not terminate a deputy who started a fight with security at a bar in Puyallup after they kicked him out for being too intoxicated, according to a disciplinary report DivestSPD recently obtained. Though the penalty for serious misconduct is presumed to be termination, King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tisdale suspended Det. Daniel McCreary for eight days instead of firing him.
In August 2023, McCreary, a Burien Crime Reduction Unit detective, was drinking at the Big Whiskey Tavern with his niece. According to the police report, security saw an inebriated McCreary “forcefully” grabbing women and pulling them onto the dance floor. When he attempted to enter the women’s bathroom, they ejected him.
Bar security cameras show McCreary antagonizing the bouncers in front of the club. Security guards told police that he called one a “fucking baldheaded bitch" and was taunting them, saying things like “Come on, bitch. You wanna do something?” He grabbed one of the bouncer’s beards and shoved another, according to the arrest report.
After McCreary threw a punch, the bouncers surrounded him and restrained him on the ground until Puyallup police arrived. Officers handcuffed McCreary and placed him in the backseat of a cruiser while they spoke to bar staff. Police described a strong alcohol smell, and in-car video shows McCreary was so intoxicated he could barely keep his head up and respond to questions. He also vomited multiple times on his lap and the cruiser’s seat.
McCreary was initially charged with simple assault, but that was reduced to disorderly conduct, which was dismissed via a stipulated order of continuance agreement.
Recently, we reported on another case involving a KCSO deputy who was kicked out of a Seattle bar under similar circumstances. Afterward, he phoned in a false shots fired report to 911 and lied about it.
While Deputy Thomas DeBartolo was terminated, Sheriff Cole-Tindall wrote in her disciplinary memo that “mitigating circumstances” weighed against firing McCreary. She noted that he took responsibility and claimed to have given up drinking.