A 24-year-old Volusia County man stood in front of a judge on Tuesday after being accused of blackmailing a DeLand city commissioner.

Investigators with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office say Jose Santiago promised to release damaging information about Commissioner Jeff Hunter unless he gave him money.

Investigators say they have text messages Santiago allegedly sent to Hunter, blackmailing him.

Santiago is charged with extortion and he is in the county jail on a $5,000 bond.

A spokesman for the commissioner said this all began when Jeff Hunter was just trying to help a woman he had been romantically involved with.

The man behind bars is the on-again, off-again boyfriend of the woman Commissioner Hunter told law enforcement he had been seeing.

His girlfriend, Jessica Sutton, said he shouldn’t have been arrested.

"He defended my honor," said Sutton.

The charging affidavit shows Jeff Hunter went to police after he suspected money he had given Sutton did not go for a medical procedure, and that she even faked her own death to avoid repaying him.

Jason Harr, Hunter's friend and spokesperson tells me she bought a car and gave money to Santiago instead.

"He did loan her the money out of the goodness of his heart," said Jason Harr, spokesperson.

In that same charging affidavit, Hunter says Santiago texted Hunter that he had dirt on him and $20,000 would make it go away. Santiago also texted threats of harm to Hunter and his mother.

Hunter alerted police in October, and they were there when Hunter arranged to meet with Santiago at a bank on Dec. 18.

"You put your trust in somebody, and trust gets violated," said Harr.

Twenty-four-year-old Sutton said it was Hunter who wouldn't give up once she got back with Santiago.

"It was just a constant, constant, constant harassment thing," said Sutton.

Sutton also initially told reporters that Hunter had never given her any money, but then later said she couldn't remember how much, and that he had allegedly given her money to help a family in need.

Harr shared a copy of a check addressed to Sutton for $8,000 and cashed in August.

The sheriff’s office said the case is still under investigation and charges could be pending.

Santiago was given a $5,000 bond and ordered not to contact Commissioner Hunter. Sutton said they were working on bonding him out.