SAVANNAH, Ga. - A former Tybee Island police officer has been indicted on bribery charges stemming from a 2006 arrest related to driving under the influence.

Jose A. Prichardo was charged by the Chatham County grand jury Wednesday with accepting $500 from a motorist Sept. 25 to make a DUI charge go away after it had been filed.

Mr. Prichardo accepted the money from Gregory Michael Tyre "by inducing a reasonable belief" in Mr. Tyre "that the giving of said bribe would influence (Mr. Prichardo's) performance of an official act," the indictment states.

The indictment stated the officer would:

- Fail to provide the results of the blood test to the district attorney so there would be no blood-alcohol evidence against Mr. Tyre.

- Intentionally fail to appear in court, thus leading to a dismissal of the DUI charge.

Tybee Police Chief Jimmy Price said Thursday that Mr. Prichardo, 23, was fired in December for "a number of procedural violations and an inability to perform to our standards."

He was hired in April and was still on probation when he was terminated, Chief Price said.