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Sheriff's Office / Local government
Portage County corrections officer charged with sexual extortion
- Wendy DiAlesandro
A Portage County corrections officer faces two felony charges of sexual extortion after a colleague filed a complaint alleging he tried to extract "private images" from someone.
The sheriff's office didn't name the suspect, but Portage County Municipal Court records indicate that Austin P. Wilson, 29, was arraigned at 1:15 p.m. Feb. 25 and released after posting 10% of a $10,000 bond. He was charged with a third-degree felony count of sexual extortion and a fifth-degree felony count of dissemination of an image of another person.
Portage County Human Resources records indicate that an Austin P. Wilson bearing the same address and birth date as the individual in the relevant Trumbull and Portage County court and jail records has been a Portage County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer since 2017.
The sheriff's office did not respond to The Portager’s request for information, but did issue a news release on Feb. 26 in which the suspect was not named.
In a complaint Sheriff's Office Captain Robert James filed with the court, he stated that “Wilson threatened to release the private images of another in order to compel this other person to send additional private images.”
James alleged that the incident took place Feb. 23 at the Portage County Justice Center. The PCSO indicated in the news release that it learned of the matter on Feb. 24.
Court records associated with Wilson’s case do not indicate who the alleged victim is, whether a person incarcerated at the jail or a co-worker.
Citing “safety concerns and to prevent any potential contact between the suspect and the victim,” the PCSO press release states that the suspect was transported to the Trumbull County jail.
The Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Austin P. Wilson was booked into the Trumbull County jail at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 and released “to another agency” at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 25.
The PCSO press release states that Wilson has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the court proceedings. He is due back in court for a March 6 hearing.
Wendy DiAlesandro
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.