Charlotte Police Officer Arrested, Charged With Sex Offenses

CHARLOTTE, NC — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer is behind bars Tuesday, charged with first-degree sexual assault and indecent liberties with a minor.

CMPD Officer Matthew E. Porter, 54, was arrested following a statement made by a now 17-year-old girl, who currently lives in Nevada. The girl told Nye County Sheriff’s deputies that Porter was a family friend and assaulted her between July 2010 and December 2013, when she lived in Charlotte, a CMPD report said.

The Nevada sheriff's department contacted CMPD Feb. 8, prompting an investigation that included the victim, as well as family members in Nevada and North Carolina. Porter was interviewed at CMPD headquarters Feb. 27 and then arrested, CMPD said.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Charlotte Patch. Access Patch on the go with our iPhone app or our brand new app for Android phone users.)

He has been charged with eight counts of first-degree sex offense and 20 counts of indecent liberties.

Porter is currently assigned to CMPD’s Aviation Unit and has been employed by the police department for 22 years. He has been placed on unpaid administrative leave.

“I am disappointed that one of our officers is accused of this very serious offense,” CMPD Chief Kerr Putney said. “We represent the law and absolutely will not tolerate one of our own violating it. It’s our job to protect this community. We have no place in our ranks for anyone who would violate the trust of a child in this manner.”

Photo via Shutterstock