A former Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigator pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to a count of accepting a bribe from a suspected drug dealer.

David Treadwell, 33, of Gainesville, was indicted on Jan. 28 by a federal grand jury. Federal authorities accused Treadwell of accepting $200 and $300 payments from someone believed to be a drug dealer.

Treadwell entered a guilty plea to one count of accepting a bribe.

The suspected drug dealer, according to the indictment, “was paying (Treadwell) to inform him if (Treadwell) became aware that the Hall County Sheriff’s Office was investigating (the drug dealer) for possession of marijuana ...”

“When you have a seasoned deputy sheriff who makes the conscious choice to violate his oath of office and seek illegal financial gain, it must be dealt with expeditiously,” Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said in a statement at the time of Treadwell’s indictment. “I will not tolerate this kind of criminal action and I am thankful for the duty-bound officers who brought these heinous activities to the forefront.”

Millie Dunn, Treadwell’s counsel, declined to comment.

Treadwell had been with the sheriff’s office since 2007, according to spokeswoman Nicole Bailes, and was fired on Jan. 30.

The allegations against Treadwell were raised as a prosecutorial issue already in proceedings in March.

Sentencing will be held at a later date.

According to the plea agreement, the maximum prison sentence is 10 years with a maximum fine of $250,000. There is no mandatory minimum prison sentence.