Posted on 05/23/2009 6:13:50 AM PDT by kenth
The allegation involves the embezzlement of money confiscated from a detained motorist.
MUSKOGEE — The sheriff and undersheriff of McIntosh County were charged in federal court Friday in connection with the alleged embezzlement of a large sum of cash that was confiscated from a detained motorist.
Sheriff Terry Alan Jones, 36, and Undersheriff Mykol Travis Brookshire, 38, both of Eufaula, are charged in U.S. District Court with depriving Adan Sandival of his civil rights during a traffic stop on Thursday, said Sheldon Sperling, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee.
"It's a good chunk of change," said Sperling, who said the amount was more than $1,000 but declined to be more specific. Sperling declined to elaborate on the traffic stop.
The sheriff and undersheriff were detained Friday but not arrested, the federal prosecutor said. He anticipates that the law enforcement officials will be summoned for a court appearance sometime next week.
McIntosh County Commissioner Bob James said that "the sheriff has not resigned. He is still the sheriff."
Their status will be determined by McIntosh County officials, who are advised by Tom Giulioli, district attorney for McIntosh and Okmulgee counties.
Giulioli couldn't be reached immediately for comment.
The charging information alleges that by stealing the cash from Sandival, Jones and Brookshire deprived him "of the right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures of property by one acting under the color of law."
The misdemeanor count is punishable upon conviction by to up to one year in prison, a maximum fine of up to $100,000 and a term of supervised release of up to a year.
Also participating in the investigation besides the Justice Department were the Drug Enforcement Administration, the District Attorney's Office and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Monica Smith, a McIntosh County Jail administrator, said Friday that Jones was unavailable but had not been arrested.
A spokeswoman at the McIntosh County Sheriff's Office said the jail wasn't holding a person named Adan (also known as Adon) Sandival.
Jones was elected sheriff in December 2004, defeating incumbent Jeff Coleman by more than 200 votes four months after he had edged Coleman by two votes in an August runoff. Coleman challenged the August result, saying voting irregularities made the outcome uncertain, and a district judge ordered a new runoff.
Jones is a board member of the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association, serving as its southeast regional president, according to the organization's Web site.
Beats pimping!
Protectin’ and servin’!
Violating his rights? How about armed robbery.
This is 18 USC 242, deprivation of rights under color of law. It needs to be used more against dirty police ans sheriffs (not saying these are - they deserve their day in court just like everyone else) and esp. politicians who trample on our Constitutional rights.
When that happens, Congress will amend the code - to their benefit
Since even the Tulsa World is reporting on this, I will assume the officers in question were caught on camera.
I hope this makes it to YouTube after the trial.
Yeah, it would be interesting to see. I’m just amazed that something is being done about a case like this. It sounds like they robbed the wrong person.
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