CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department threatened to share sexually explicit photos and videos of a person without their consent, court records show.
Joel Medina, 30, is charged with extortion and disclosure of private images. Both charges are felonies.
An arrest warrant says Medina threatened to "send sexually explicit videos/photos of the victim to the victim's family and/or friends." The threat was made to wrongfully obtain $10,000 from the victim, according to the warrant.
Medina did share the content of the victim, according to court records.
CMPD arrested Medina after interviewing him about an incident on Monday.
The incident happened when Medina was not at work, according to CMPD. Police say the incident did not impact Medina's job functions.
“I am disheartened by the recent arrest of Officer Medina," CMPD chief Johnny Jennings said in a statement. "An officer’s arrest is not just a personal failure but a breach of public trust. The trust of our community is paramount, and we will not tolerate any conduct that undermines that trust. I’m proud of the diligent and thorough work by our detectives who investigated this case."
Media had his first court appearance on Aug. 6, where he was appointed a public defender. He is now out of jail on bond and his next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 27.
Medina has worked with the department since February 2022. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
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