Niagara Falls police officer charged with rape of minor

A Niagara Falls police officer was arrested on three felony counts of third-degree rape, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday.

Sheriff Michael Filicetti said in a statement that his office's Criminal Investigation Bureau began investigating Porter after they received "a report of a sex offense involving a juvenile victim."

Martice D. Porter, 21, is charged with rape in the third degree, defined as sexual intercourse with a person under 17 by a person who is 21 or older.

He was being held in the Niagara County jail Tuesday morning on $10,000 bail.

A Niagara Falls city spokesperson said that Porter has been placed on a 30-day administrative leave.

A November 14, 2023 social media post by the Niagara Falls Police Club shows Porter being sworn in as a police officer.

7 News has learned Porter was a patrolman working the midnight shift and he previously worked for the Lewiston Police Department.