The former Benton Harbor police officer charged with sex offenses this week is also the pastor of Franklin African Methodist Episcopal Church in Niles.

Jared Graves, 42, was appointed as the pastor of the church in 2005, having served as the pastor at the former Quinn Chapel AME Church in Cassopolis before that.

Attempts to reach church officials were unsuccessful Friday.

Graves was charged Thursday with two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree, misconduct in office and delivery of marijuana.

He was reportedly called to Harbor Towers apartments Oct. 3 to investigate potential drug activity. He reportedly confiscated marijuana from a woman but didn’t pursue charges against her.

He is alleged to have contacted the woman two days later and called her into the police station to discuss the marijuana incident. According to a news release, Graves is alleged to have taken her into a storage room of the police department and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

Graves is also alleged to have then filed a false police report, claiming he had not been able to determine where the smell of the marijuana was coming from at the apartment complex.

It is also alleged that the officer called the same woman into the police department Nov. 16 when he tried to blackmail her into sexual acts again.

Michigan State police arrested him Thursday morning.