Former Temple police Officer Erick French II, 24, was arrested Thursday on a warrant stemming from allegations he lied to FBI investigators to conceal the fact that he “sent a text message alerting an individual to an ongoing investigation,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

French made an initial appearance Thursday morning before a federal magistrate in Waco and was released after posting a $25,000 bond.

He’s named in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Austin that charges making false statements to federal investigators.

The indictment was handed up after an investigation that involved the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Temple police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

He’s accused of alerting an individual about an investigation being conducted by the Temple Police Department’s Special Investigations unit, according to the press release.

On March 11, an agent with the unit who was assigned to federal task force discovered that French “potentially compromised a federal investigation,” Temple police Officer Shawana Neely said in a press release Thursday evening.

French was suspended indefinitely on July 29 for policy violations, Neely said.

He was on the Temple police force from Jan. 10, 2014 until his suspension, she said.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of as much as five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

French is scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 19 in Austin.