Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins is taking a medical leave, nearly three weeks after he was charged with extorting a Boston-based cannabis company.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and state Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued a joint statement Wednesday morning, saying Tompkins "has agreed to step away from his position until the federal case against him is resolved."

Special Sheriff Mark Lawhorne will cover the position for now, Healey and Campbell said.

Tompkins's lawyer, Marty Weinberg, then issued his own statement saying his client took "medical leave" starting Tuesday, "following the strong recommendation of his treating physician."

"Sheriff Tompkins will use this time to meet the challenge resulting from a serious medical issue while he and I work to safeguard

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