A police constable was arrested on Tuesday for breaching the Corruption Prevention Act after he was accused of collecting $13,000 from a motorist who had committed a traffic violation.

According to police reports, about 9:00 a.m. Constable Samuel Spence of the Stony Hill Police Station stopped a public passenger vehicle along the Old Stony Hill main road for a breach of the Road Traffic Act. The policeman subsequently seized the vehicle.

It is further alleged that Constable Spence solicited the money from the driver to release the vehicle and to not prosecute the driver for the offence.

The matter was later reported to the Anti-Corruption Branch which carried out an operation which resulted in the arrest of Constable Spence and Kenneth Peart, a wrecker driver, after money was collected from the complainant.

The file is currently being prepared for submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions for a ruling.

Spence and Peart are being held at the Kingston Central Police and Half-Way Tree police station lock-ups respectively.