A Bedford police officer who lives in Hooksett and just got hired in December has resigned after being arrested and charged with operating under the influence after he rear-ended a couple on a motorcycle.

Alejandro Jaime, 36, of Hooksett, was off duty and driving down Tarrytown Road just south of Hanover Street in Manchester on Thursday, June 12, said Manchester police Sgt. Maureen Tessier, when he ran into the motorcycle in front of him.

The motorcycle driver, James McLaughlin, 30, and his wife and passenger, Taylor McLaughlin, 31, were tossed from the bike. Both were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, Tessier said, and were released shortly after.

Tessier would not comment on whether Jaime submitted to a blood alcohol test, but said Jaime was reportedly cooperative with arresting officers.

Bedford Police Chief David C. Bailey said Jaime tendered his resignation, along with his badge and gun, to the Bedford police station on Monday, June 16.

“We are grateful that no one was seriously injured in the accident. That charge will be adjudicated through the court system, just as it would for anyone else,” Bailey said during a press briefing on Monday, June 16.

“We all from time to time make poor decisions, and police officers are like anyone else, but we must be held to a higher standard, and, in my opinion, he did the right thing by resigning,” Bailey added.

Bedford police hired Jaime in December 2007, putting him through the police academy and training.

Jaime was still in field training, in fact, and had not yet been out on patrol alone when the incident occurred.

Bailey said the Manchester Police Department contacted Bedford police as a courtesy immediately after the arrest. Something like this has never happened in Bailey’s tenure, he said, as chief.“

That’s a serious charge. It’s something that we enforce all the time,” Bailey said.

Jaime went through an intensive background check, a polygraph test and a psychological exam before being hired, as is customary for all police hires, and nothing alarming jumped out, said Bailey.

He pointed out that Jaime awaits his day in court, and is not yet convicted.

“We’ve got to remember that it’s an allegation,” said Bailey. “He has to face the system just like any other civilian.”

Currently, there are a total of four openings, including one for Jaime’s position, in the Bedford department.

“I’m not happy. It’s an embarrassment,” said Bailey. “People make poor judgments, but again, we’re held to a higher standard.”

Jaime is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, June 25, to answer to the charge.

In an interview on his new job as a Bedford police officer back in March, just after he graduated from the police academy, Jaime said he was born in Columbia and moved to the United States in 1994. He worked at a Mexican restaurant before deciding to go into law enforcement, he said, and put his bilingual skills to good use.

“I want to make a difference in people’s lives and the community,” Jaime said at the time.