CHARLESTON, S.C. - A former Citadel board member charged with cocaine possession at a College of Charleston fraternity could avoid prison time if he completes an alternative program, a prosecutor says.

Charleston attorney Dennis Rhoad has been referred to a program that would dismiss the misdemeanor charges in exchange for drug testing and community service, said assistant prosecutor Ravi Sanyal.

By entering the program, Rhoad, 41, does not admit guilt, Sanyal said. If he does not complete the program or gets kicked out, he will be tried. If convicted, he could be sent to jail for a maximum of two years, he said.

Three other defendants arrested in June after a campus police officer reportedly saw them snorting cocaine around a pool table at the Sigma Chi fraternity also have been referred to the program.

First-time offenders of a nonviolent crime qualify for the Pre-Trial Intervention Program, an alternative to jail, Sanyal said.

Following his arrest, Rhoad resigned from The Citadel's Board of Visitors, the college's governing body. Rhoad also lost a position as a part-time assistant attorney for the Charleston County Planning Commission.

In July, the state Supreme Court placed Rhoad on interim suspension from practicing law. The court appointed Charleston attorney Capers G. Barr III as a trustee of Rhoad's clients, bank accounts and files. Barr has a law office separate from Rhoad's Broad Street practice.

The attorney general's office is involved in a disciplinary proceeding against Rhoad, but agency spokesman Trey Walker said he couldn't provide details.

If Rhoad completes the program and his record is expunged, then the Supreme Court would decide whether he is reinstated, said Henry B. Richardson Jr., with the Supreme Court's Office of the Disciplinary Counsel.

Information from: The Post And Courier