A former Oklahoma sheriff indicted last year in a bribery and extortion case has received a five-year deferred sentence after pleading guilty to a reduced charge.
Former Wagoner County Sheriff Bob Colbert was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor neglect of duty charge.
Colbert and a former sheriff's office captain were indicted by a multicounty grand jury in March 2016 on allegations that the former lawmen released two motorists who were under arrest in exchange for $10,000 seized during a 2014 traffic stop.
The grand jury also recommended Colbert's removal from office.
Colbert had denied the charges, and his attorneys said in a statement after Thursday's hearing that Colbert "never took even one dime of funds and all allegations saying he did are now put to rest."