BOSTON (AP) — A sheriff in one of Massachusetts’ largest counties was charged Friday with allegedly pressuring a Boston-based cannabis firm to sell him stock in the company.

Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 67, who oversees about 1,000 employees in the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, is facing two counts of extortion. He was taken into custody in Florida and had his first appearance there. He will appear in Boston federal court later.

“Elected officials, particularly those in law enforcement, are expected to be ethical, honest and law abiding — not self-serving,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. “His alleged actions are an affront to the voters and taxpayers who elected him to his position, and the many dedicated and honest public servants at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Depart

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