ELIZABETH - A Union County grand jury indicted a state probation officer on charges of taking bribes from a defendant who she allegedly helped to pass required drug tests, authorities said.

Rhonda Battle, 46, of Roselle, was charged with two counts of official misconduct and three counts of bribery, all second-degree offenses, for taking more than $200 on various occasions between January 1, 2014 and December 23, 2014, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said in a statement today.

Battle had been working in Middlesex County. The case against her was assigned to Union County to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, Carey said. He said Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christine D'Elia presented the case to a grand jury in Elizabeth.

Battle was initially charged on Dec. 23, 2014 following an investigation by Detective Nicholas Chiorello of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, Carey said.

He said Chiorello determined that Battle accepted cash to ensure the defendant passed drug testing and was not found in violation of the conditions of a court-ordered probationary term.

Battle was assigned to work with defendants who had been admitted to the state Drug Court program in Superior Court in New Brunswick, the prosecutor said.

The program which is available to first-time offenders offers counseling, rehabilitation and probation as alternatives to incarceration.

Authorities said the investigation is continuing and asked that anyone with information call Chiorello at (732) 745-3848.

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.