Prosecutors have charged a Boston tow truck operator with trying to extort a woman whose car he towed, all while allegedly driving with a suspended license.

Tyrone Rutledge, 33, was arrested over the weekend and arraigned Monday in the West Roxbury Division of Boston Municipal Court, according to a statement from the Suffolk District Attorney. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $100 bond, ordered to stay away from the victim and obey motor vehicle restrictions.

Rutledge faces two felony charges – extortion by falsely reporting a crime and witness intimidation. He is also charged with attempted felony, driving with a suspended license, driving an uninsured vehicle, license plate violation and several civil driving offenses.

An attorney for Rutledge, Steven C. Boozang, said in an interview that the entire episode was “blown out of proportion.”

A woman told Boston police Saturday night that her car had been towed and the driver was trying to extort her, prosecutors said. The woman said when she called the towing company, the man on the phone falsely claimed the vehicle was improperly registered and uninsured.

The man, later identified as Rutledge, allegedly told her she would have to go to his residence in Roxbury and provide $300 in cash if she wanted the car back, prosecutors said.

Officers were interviewing the woman on Walk Hill Street when Rutledge and another woman arrived on the scene in a tow truck. Prosecutors said Rutledge, who was allegedly driving, switched places with the woman in the cab and refused to get out of the truck. Officers then arrested Rutledge and his companion.

Prosecutors said Rutledge’s companion, Brittney Rivera of Boston, was also driving with a suspended license. Rivera, 32, will be arraigned at a later date.

“The only way we can make progress on these types of crimes is when victims come forward, rather than simply succumbing to every scam that is tried on them,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement . “That’s exactly what this victim did and she deserves a lot of credit for her quick and fair decision.”

Rutledge was released on bond Monday and then transported to Dedham District Court, where he is currently being held on a probation violation charge. Rutledge pleaded guilty in August to charges of receiving a stolen motor vehicle, according to court records.

Rutledge’s attorney disputed prosecutors’ account, suggesting the woman’s complaint was a “sting operation” by police. The woman’s car was initially towed for a parking violation, he said, and the “confusion” over the vehicle’s registration came later. Boozang said Rutledge’s towing company, Up N Down Towing, has a contract with the apartment complex where the woman had parked.

In addition, Rutledge “never, ever” asked the car’s owner to come to his house, Boozang added.

“Did he have a suspended license?” he said. “Sure, absolutely. He made that mistake and he’s in jail right now thinking about it. But did all these things happen? I’ve known Tyrone for about 10 years. I think he’s a much better person than that, and I think he’s a lot smarter than putting himself in that position.”

Rutledge currently has an open firearms case in Suffolk Superior Court, prosecutors said. He previously served four years in prison after pleading guilty to armed assault with intent to murder in connection with a 2009 shooting in Dorchester, according to court records.

“Tyrone is a hard-working person who had a tough upbringing but worked hard to try to come back,” Boozang said. “He sometimes found himself back in trouble. … But that seems to me to be a great misunderstanding.”

Rutledge will be held pending a probation violation hearing in Dedham scheduled for Nov. 22. He is expected to return to the BMC on December 11 for a pre-trial hearing.

Camilo Fonseca can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.