A detective from a high-profile Louisville Metro Police unit was charged Monday with official misconduct for allegedly offering help with their court cases in exchange for sex and sexually explicit text messages, court records said.Det. Carl Payne, 38, was assigned to administrative duties in February.Until then, Payne was assigned to LMPD's VIPER Unit, a group of officers meant to focus on high-profile criminals and high-crime areas and a centerpiece of Chief Steve Conrad's re-ordering of the department.His commanding officer, Johann "Kit" Stemile, was also placed on administrative duties at the same time. Both remain active members of Louisville Metro Police, working at desk jobs, said Dwight Mitchell, an LMPD spokesman.Official misconduct is a class A misdemeanor.Between March 2013 and January 2014, Payne allegedly sent explicit photos of himself to two women and sent explicit text messages to another, and with each woman he allegedly suggested he could help with their court cases, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. You can read the police allegations here.The official misconduct charge is the result of an LMPD public integrity unit investigation into Payne, Mitchell said. LMPD still has professional standards investigations open on both Payne and Stemile, he added.
