UPDATE: The Jackson Police officer who is charged with extortion appeared in court on Thursday.
A judge set bond for Bryan Jones at $10, 000.
A criminal complaint alleges that Jones abused his power as an officer to help some drug dealers in the area.
He’s accused of pulling over alleged rival drug dealers and seizing their money during illegal stops.
Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance said there was no indicators that Jones was or would be a problem. He said a community member gave them a tip about what Jones was doing. He said the investigation started months ago.
Jones joined the police force in 2008.
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) — A Jackson Police officer has been arrested and charged with extortion.
The FBI was the arresting agency, according to Deborah Madden, the Public Affairs Specialist of the FBI Jackson Division.
The criminal complaint alleges that Bryan Jones used his position to extort money. According to the affidavit, Jones assisted drug dealers by conducting illegal traffic stops and searches on rival drug dealers.
According to the FBI, Jones illegally stopped a vehicle seized $5,000 from someone believed to be a drug dealer on April 15. The affidavit also says that Jones conducted an illegal stop on June 23 for the same reason. The money from both incidents was never submitted to the police department, officials said.
If convicted, Jones could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance is expected to make a statement about Jones Thursday afternoon.
