LA GRANDE, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon state trooper was indicted in Union County on charges of coercion and harassment in traffic stops involving two female motorists.

A grand jury handed up the indictments against Trooper Larry Purdy on Wednesday, said special prosecutor Christopher Brauer, the district attorney in neighboring Umatilla County.

Brauer made the indictments public on Thursday but released few details. He said the allegations arose from two separate stops Purdy made and Purdy's contact with the two female motorists.

The grand jury heard 13 witnesses, including the two victims and law enforcement officers, he said.

State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings said Purdy has been on paid "modified duty status" since March 31, about the time the police learned of the first allegation. That means Purdy is being paid, "but I don't believe he has been doing any work around the office," said Hastings, the department's spokesman.

Purdy has been a trooper for more than 10 years in the La Grande area.

The coercion charges are felonies with sentences of up to five years on each of two counts. The harassment charges are misdemeanors carrying sentences of six months to a year.

Information from: The (La Grande) Observer, http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/