CMPD officer charged with extortion, appears in court

CHARLOTTE, NC — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer accused of extortion is due in court Tuesday.

Earlier this month, investigators filed charges against 30-year-old Joel Medina. An arrest warrant states that Medina threatened to “send sexually explicit videos/photos of the victim to the victim's family and/or friends.” The threat was aimed at wrongfully extorting $10,000 from the victim, the warrant states.

On August 6, he made his first court appearance on the racketeering charge, where he was assigned a public defender.

RELATED: CMPD officer threatened to send victim's 'sexually explicit' content to his family, arrest warrant says

Medina had been with the department since February 2022 and was placed on unpaid leave in early August pending the outcome of the investigation.

Documents obtained by WCNC Charlotte show that another officer suspected Medina of being involved in slashing the tires of two cars on August 18. According to a police report, Medina was charged with two counts of minor criminal damage. He was given a $1,000 bond at a court appearance on August 20, which he has since posted.

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