A former Hazlehurst police officer has been arrested following an indictment on one count of extortion, Attorney General Jim Hood confirmed Monday afternoon.

LaGracha Amon Carter-Boyd, 25, of Hazlehurst was arrested Friday by officers with the Copiah County Sheriff’s Office following indictment by a Copiah County Grand Jury for extortion, according to a press release from the state attorney general’s office.  The indictment alleges that Boyd, while on duty, accepted money from a citizen on the pretense of “fixing” a ticket that Boyd had previously issued the same citizen.

If convicted, Boyd faces up to five years behind bars. As with all cases, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The investigation is being conducted by the Copiah sheriff’s office, the Hazlehurst Police Department and Investigator Keith Denson with the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Stan Alexander.