A Florala police officer was arrested Wednesday and charged with under-aged drinking.

Florala Chief Sonny Bedsole said Pandora “P.J.” Motley, 19, was employed for the last several months with the department as a patrol officer. He said Motley was scheduled to become a certified police officer by attending the police academy; however, her employment with the City of Florala has now been terminated.

“About 1:15 p.m., I started getting complaints about a female who was employed as an officer here that was intoxicated and attempting to pick fights,” Bedsole said. “I made contact with her and arrested her for minor in consumption of alcohol.”

Bedsole said Motley was not on duty at the time of the incident and that she had done “an excellent job” at the department up until the time of the incident.

“But, unfortunately, she made some bad personal decisions,” he said. “We believe in enforcing the law fairly for everyone. Unfortunately, Ms. Motley is under-aged and was caught drinking, and that is against the law – no matter what one’s profession.”

Motley was booked into the Covington County Jail and later released on a $3,000 bond.

Bedsole said under Alabama law, police departments can hire those age 19 or older, and employees must obtain certification by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission.