North Carolina Officer Charged With On-Duty Sex Crimes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting two female motorists while in uniform and operating his patrol car.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Marcus Jackson, 25, was charged with sexual battery, second-degree sex offense, extortion, kidnapping, indecent exposure and two counts of felonious restraint. He was being held in lieu of bond totaling $360,000 ahead of a court hearing Thursday, according to jail records. The records did not indicate whether he had an attorney, and a jail spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking information.

Jackson was immediately fired after his arrest Wednesday night, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe said.

"To have one of our own involved in such a despicable act is not only a violation of the public trust, but a complete dishonor to this officer and every officer that wears this badge," Monroe said. "We work very hard to gain and maintain the public's trust, and this knocks us backward."

The case began after a relative reported Monday that a 17-year-old girl said she was ordered into Jackson's car on Dec. 18, driven to another location, and assaulted. The girl said the officer had been wearing his uniform and driving his marked patrol car.

On Tuesday, a 21-year-old woman told detectives she'd been assaulted under similar circumstances the previous night, Monroe said.

Both of the reported incidents happened between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. in east Charlotte, where Jackson was on duty.

"It is profoundly disappointing when one of our police officers engages in such heinous conduct," Mayor Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "It obscures the fact that the vast majority of our officers are dedicated, hardworking people."

Monroe added that "it would be naive" to think others had not been assaulted by Jackson, according to a report Thursday in the Charlotte Observer.

The police chief reportedly released Jackson's photo at a news conference in the hopes that other potential victims will come forward.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.