Mississippi police officer indicted in extortion case

12532778-smallJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Cleveland police officer has been arrested and charged with one count of extortion by a public official.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said in a news release Thursday 46-year-old Melvin Sparks turned himself in to the Bolivar County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday following an indictment by a grand jury.

Hood says the indictment alleges that Sparks, while on duty, accepted money from a citizen on the pretense of fixing a ticket.

He says Sparks was released late Wednesday on a $10,000 bond. If convicted, Sparks faces up to five years behind bars, removal from office and a $5,000 fine.

Online jail records do not list an attorney for Sparks.