Am I Being Blackmailed?

Location: Virginia, U.S.

I am a 19 year old male. I messaged an 18 year old girl on a dating site and we got to talking and eventually texting. We were planning to meet up and then she said her birthday was coming up. I said "Oh cool, so you'll be 19?" She said "No, 18!" Then before I could respond she sent an explicit picture. Here is where I fucked up because I should have just cut off communication entirely. Instead, I said "okay i'm going to believe that picture is of someone else because you're not 18..." She then sent a very explicit message and said she was going to send something even better. I said "oh god you're a wild one huh....you got me looking up laws in VA lmao. Yeah as tempting as that is, let's wait until after your birthday".

I know, I shouldn't have been thinking with my dick and immediately cut off contact. A few days later the local police department called and said he had been contacted by her father and he wanted to speak to me before pressing charges. (I later confirmed it was in fact the number of the local PD). The father then called and said his daughter tried to commit suicide and was in the hospital, and they would press charges unless I agreed to help pay her medical bills. They wanted $9,000 up front. I told them I am broke and couldn't pay them anything. They then said I could pay the amount monthly until it's paid off and afterwards they wouldn't press charges.

This feels like i'm being blackmailed and scammed, but it was the actual PD that called me. I didn't ask for her to send me a picture and I was under the impression she was 18 until she told me otherwise. Is my response to her after she sent a picture enough to get me labeled a sex offender? Is my best option here to just pay her father every month?