Extortion charge filed against former Buchanan sheriff’s deputy

A former Buchanan County sheriff’s deputy was charged Friday in Buchanan County with extortion, non-felonious misconduct in office and accepting a bribe, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Klint Bentley, 37, of Fairbank, asked a female driver that he had pulled over for speeding on Feb. 4 to show him her breasts, implying that if she did he wouldn’t issue her a traffic citation, the release states.

Bentley also reportedly asked for nude photos from her via text message after the traffic stop concluded.

According to a criminal complaint, the woman who Bentley pulled over recorded the interaction, in which Bentley asked her, “What’s in it for me?”

The traffic stop happened at 10:05 p.m. Feb. 4 near 120th Street and Fairbank-Amish Boulevard in rural Buchanan County, the complaint states.

The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office and the Buchanan County Attorney’s Office asked the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office to investigate the incident to avoid a conflict of interest. That investigation began on Feb. 7, and Bentley was terminated from the sheriff’s office on Feb. 8.

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